Companions Divided
by Ruth Joyce
Summary: (Book 3) When Princess Merida is kidnapped, Hiccup defies North's orders and travels forwards in time to get help from the Frosts. But as a mysterious, shadowy figure cleverly manipulates them, the Companions realize they are in deep water. Can they rally together, or is it too late already? Rated M only for violence and extreme action and peril.
1. Chapter 1: Kidnapped

**Author's Note: This is the third book in the Companions series. If you haven't read them yet, it might make more sense if you read the first two, "Companions United" and "Frozen Companions."  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the following movies: Brave, Tangled, How To Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, Frozen, Epic, or How To Train Your Dragon 2. **

* * *

Chapter 1: Kidnapped

"Careful now," Merida said. "Don't try to pull it all the way back on your first try."

Elinor took in a deep breath and aimed at the target five feet away. "Are you sure I can do this?"

Merida laughed. "You'll do fine, mum! At least your arrow won't burst into flame like Anna's did."

"Burst into flame!" Elinor exclaimed, looking at the arrow nervously.

"Don't worry! Anna has fire powers, remember? It was just her arrows, not yours. Now shoot!"

Elinor closed her eyes and released her grip on the arrow and let it fly. The arrow ripped through one of the flags on the shooting range and crashed into a castle window. Merida held her hands to her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"Oops!" she collapsed on the ground, laughing.

"What happened? Did I hurt anyone?" Elinor asked anxiously, opening her eyes. She saw the broken window. "Oh dear. That didn't quite go as plan, did it? Merida! A lady doesn't chortle!" She tried hard to keep a straight face.

Merida shook her head, red curls flying. "Mother, yew have to keep your eyes open," she said, giggling.

Elinor broke into laughter. "We can get the window fixed later," she said. "Can I try again?"

Merida nodded and helped her mother notch another arrow. This time Elinor kept her eyes open and narrowed, completely focused on the target.

"You won't get away from me this time!" Elinor exclaimed. "Take that!" She released the arrow. Merida let out an excited squeal. "I hit it! Did you see that, Merida? I hit the target!"

"Alright mum!" Merida cried. "You did it! Ah knew yew could." She smiled up at her mother, enjoying their day together.

"Elinor!" Fergus cried, coming out of the castle.

"Fergus, did you see me? I hit the target, I even got it in the white line!"

Merida giggled. "Technically, it's the red circle yew want to hit, but yew were so close, and that was your first time!"

"Good for you, dear! Now, there's a wee problem in the throne room. Some lad's come for Merida…"

Merida groaned. "Again? What am Ah doing to encourage this?"

"Don't worry, dear, I'll take care of it," Elinor said, resuming her queenly demeanor and gliding off towards the throne room. "But you might learn a thing or two about turning down suitors if you come and watch."

Merida sighed and skipped behind her mother. When they got to the throne room, a large muscular man was waiting. Elinor took a seat and looked him over. He was very strong and had long black locks. He did not look very pleasant.

"Your majesty," he said with a sweeping bow. "I have come to ask for your daughter's hand."

"So I've heard," Elinor said, trying not to flinch at his rough, grating voice. "I'm quite sorry to tell you, my lord, but the princess is not ready for marriage, and is turning down all suitors at this time. Come back in a year or two and try then. In the mean time, you are most welcome to visit us at DunBroch as a friend…ah…"

"Drago Bludvist, your highness."

"You are welcome here, Drago. The guards will show you out, now."

"Thank you, milady," Drago said, looking disappointed..

He turned and walked calmly from the castle, but once out of sight, the anger became clear on his face. Muttering, he made his way through the woods until he reached the abandoned fortress. On the outside, it still looked abandoned, but inside it had been refurbished and strengthened. Cautiously, Drago walked down the stone stair case into the old throne room, where The Master sat in the shadows, waiting for him.

"Master," Drago said, bowing much lower than he had to Elinor. "I went to DunBroch and asked for the princess' hand as you requested. But she is turning all suitors away." He gulped nervously. "I have failed you."

Drago waited while The Master conferred in low tones with the right-hand man. The Master never spoke to anyone directly, having another speak instead. Finally the advisor stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.

"I am the Mouth of The Master, speaking only what is told to me. We will move to Plan B. The princess will take her evening ride later today. That is when we will make our move. Go. Prepare yourself and spread the news to Legion 3."

Nodding respectfully, Drago backed out of the room. He took the stairs two at a time, breathing a huge sigh of relief once he was out in the open air. The Master was a powerful force, and not very forgiving. He was lucky to have escaped with his life.

* * *

Angus slowly plodded through the autumn forest, tired after his long gallop through the country. Merida patted his neck affectionately.

"Are yew tired, Angus? Don't worry, when we get home you'll get extra oats for dinner, and an apple for desert."

Angus whinnied in appreciation. Merida grinned and took a deep breath of the crisp air. The long ride had felt marvelous, and she'd gotten perfect hits on all of her targets. Not that it was a surprise, of course. Merida had been a perfect aimer for years.

Suddenly, she pulled Angus to a halt. A squirrel sat in a tree a few yards away, nibbling a nut. There were no branches blocking it from her view, and it hadn't spotted her yet.

"I wonder if the boys would like squirrel for supper?" Merida whispered, drawing her bow. She reached down to her quiver for an arrow, but her hand grasped air. "Oh no, I forgot I fired mah last arrow! Well, I guess tomorrow we'll have to go collect arrows from all my targets, eh Angus? Angus?"

Angus was standing stock still, except for his ears, which were swiveling in all directions. Merida looked around cautiously. She noticed it had become deathly quiet in the woods. Then, a stick snapped behind her. Instinctively, Merida kicked Angus into a gallop, not bothering to look behind her.

"Faster, Angus!" she cried, hearing large pounding footsteps.

They were still a good two miles away from DunBroch Castle, and she had no weapons except a small dagger for skinning squirrels. In short, not a good time to be chased by anyone or anything. Casting a glance over her shoulder, Merida saw Drago and several strong men gaining on her. Drago held a small black object up to his mouth and yelled in the one incomprehensible Scottish dialect that Merida did not understand. Suddenly more men jumped out in front of her, startling Angus to a halt. In an instant, Merida and Angus were surrounded by Drago's men. For a split second she thought about having Angus jump over their heads, but they were too tall.

"If it's money you want, don't waste your time kidnapping me, just let me back to the castle," she cried in fear. "I'll give it to you!"

"We don't want your money," Drago snarled, now speaking clearly. "We want you. And technically, it's not really us that want you. It's The Master's will."

"What? No, I don't understand!"

"All in good time…milady."

With one swift movement, Drago reached up and knocked Merida unconscious. She slumped in the saddle and fell off Angus. Grinning evilly, Drago swatted the horse on the rear, sending him galloping towards the castle in fear.

"Come, men," he said, picking up Merida's limp figure in his arms. "The Master is waiting for us."

* * *

**Disclaimer 2: I do not own the rights to the movie where The Master is from. But as you still don't know who The Master is (and it's not The Master from Doctor Who), I won't reveal the movie at this time. *insert evil laugh***


	2. Chapter 2: Panic

Chapter 2: Panic

Hiccup and Toothless weaved their way through the clouds, trying to find out how fast Toothless really could go. It was quiet this morning-not many villagers were awake yet, and neither were their dragons. Boy and dragon were alone in the sky, relishing their time alone as the wind rushed past them.

"Go baby!" Hiccup yelled, exhilerated.

Like his cousin, he also enjoyed the crisp air of autumn. Yes, it did mean the harsh cruel winter was on it's way, but for a few short weeks (or sometimes merely days), the sun would shine down on Berk and warm the air ever so slightly. The leaves would change color and float listlessly down to the ground as children roamed the forest and the viking men and women harvested any of the few crops that grew in the harsh terrain.

Behind Hiccup-or, rather, below-a dragon roared.

"Sounds like Berk is waking up," Hiccup commented. "One more flight around the island, bud, and then we'll head home for breakfast."

Toothless had other ideas, however. He fought Hiccup's control and turned back towards Berk. Hiccup, trusting his dragon's judgement, let Toothless lead. Suddenly a huge blue Thunderdrum burst out of the sky. It was Thornado, Stoick's dragon.

"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled.

Immediately sensing something was wrong, Hiccup helped Toothless fly fast in his father's direction. Once they caught up, Stoick turned his dragon towards the sea, and gestured for Hiccup to follow.

"Dad! What is it, what's wrong? We heard Thornado roar and Toothless turned around!"

"I've just received news from DunBroch," Stoick said, his voice heavy. "Took awhile since they don't have dragon-mail, but Fergus and Elinor need us to come immediately."

"What? But the crops are going to be harvested today. Don't you need to oversee that? What's so important that we have to drop all our winter preparations?"

Stoick smiled slightly, noticing Hiccup's growing concern for Berk. He would make a good leader someday. Then his smile dropped.

"They need our help, Hiccup. Merida has disappeared, and they don't know where she is."

Hiccup gasped. Merida disappeared? "But how?"

"I don't know. No one does," Stoick said with a sigh. "But we're flying over there. NOW." He tossed Hiccup a saddlebag. "Emergency food and other supplies just in case. I left Gobber in charge."

"Great," Hiccup said. "I'm sure that will work out well."

Last time Gobber had been left in charge, things didn't go so well. After naming a baby girl Magnus instead of Hildegarde, he fixed a ship with metal and it promptly sank to the bottom of the ocean. Even the dragons had a hard time getting it out.

But the island's problems would have to wait. Right now, they had to get to Merida. Hiccup had the terrible feeling that she was in danger of her life.

….

"Stoick! Oh thank goodness you've come," Fergus cried. "Elinor and I are worried sick."

"Where is Elinor?" Stoick said.

"Follow me," Fergus said, turning into the castle. "She's kept the triplets in the diner hall ever since we discovered Merida's absence. Though how she kept them still I don't know."

Elinor was keeping an eye on Hubert, Harris and Hamish as they scampered through the room, trying to entertain themselves. When the boys saw Toothless they immediately ran and climbed all over him. Hiccup eyed them warily, knowing his young cousins had a reputation for certain unfeeling limbs to tables. But the boys behaved well enough. Except when Harris stuck his head in Toothless' mouth to see where his retractable teeth went. Elinor sighed, partly in relief that her brother-in-law was here, and partly in exasperation at the triplets.

"Boys," she said. "Go down to the kitchens and see if Maudie will get you a snack. Not a meal, mind you! We just had lunch. Behave yourself."

The young princes raced down to the kitchen-their favorite place in the castle-and their exhausted mother collapsed in the dining room chair.

"Are you ok, Aunt Elinor?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know what to do," Elinor cried. Fergus laid a meaty hand on her shoulder as he sat down next to her.

"Tell us what happened," Stoick said, sitting across from her, with Hiccup across from Fergus.

"She had gone out riding earlier that afternoon, right after a suitor came calling. We turned him down of course, but I could see she was still upset. At sunset Angus came home without her, and he was clearly frightened. We looked everywhere, until midnight, but there was no sign of her! She was just...gone! Like that!"

"Calm down, Elinor," Stoick said. "We'll help you find her."

"She must have been kidnapped," Hiccup said suddenly.

The adults looked at him strangely. "Why do you say that?" Elinor asked.

"Because it's MERIDA. She obviously didn't get lost, she never does, but if she did she would have found her way back again. And if she were lost Angus would still be with her, not run back here looking scared."

"Poor Merida!" Elinor exclaimed. "It must have been really bad if she couldn't escape."

"Unless she ran away and sent Angus back here to make you think that," Stoick said.

"Ugh, dad," Hiccup groaned, knowing quite well where the conversation was going.

"Stoick, we're fine now!" Elinor insisted. "We had just spent the whole morning together, and most of the afternoon. She taught me how to shoot a bow and arrow."

"Aye, I thought the same thing," Stoick said solemnly. "But two years ago I took Hiccup fishing..."

"Dad, please, not now..."

"We were fine at the first spot, and were walking to the second pool. I look behind me and he's gone, vanished! He ran away. Of course it wasn't successful..."

"I didn't run away!" Hiccup protested, annoyed. "I was looking for trolls."

"I don't believe it," Stoick stated.

"Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones."

"Hiccup, you have to understand..."

But Hiccup wasn't listening anymore. Staring out the window, he realized he could see the Moon. It had been nearly a year since he had last heard from Manny—the day Jack had become a Guardian—and since then nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But now it was. Hiccup was positive that the second before, there was no moon, and now there was. And there was something else that seemed wrong...

"Dad," Hiccup said suddenly. "Is there supposed to be a full moon tonight?"

"No," Stoick said, annoyed at the interruption. "Tonight is a new moon."

Before Hiccup could reply, Manny spoke. It was just one word, but Hiccup got the message.

"Arendelle."

….

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Astrid, please try to keep it down," Hiccup said as he entered his house, casting an anxious look behind. "Mildew is still trying to prove that fact to dad and the village and it wouldn't help the situation if you yelled it at the top of your lungs."

Astrid ignored this, following Hiccup up the stairs to his loft. "North forbid it! You heard what he said: No more time travel!"

"I know," Hiccup said, closing the skylight in his roof and making sure nobody was nearby. "But the Moon CLEARLY said Arendelle..."

"Did anyone else hear it?"

"Um...I don't think so. But isn't Manny the one in charge here? North is just second in command. Look, Merida is in danger and we need the Companions together again. Toothless, come here bud."

Hiccup dug his feet into the ground and with Toothless' help pushed his bed about a foot to the right. Astrid sighed.

"Even if you were allowed to go, you don't have a way to get there."

"Yes, I do!" Hiccup grunted as he pulled up one of the floorboards. "Remember when Jack met his sister for the first time since...well, he died?"

"Yeah," Astrid said, her time softening. "It was really sweet."

"Well a few minutes before I thought it might be a good idea to have one of the P.O.'s to take home with us in case of an unforeseen emergency."

Toothless stuck his into the crack in the floor and brought out a large metal box that was chained shut. Hiccup took it to his work table and opened a drawer.

"No, no and no," Astrid said through gritted teeth. "Please tell me I'm wrong. That is not a key for that chain!"

"Uh...yes it is," he said, working the key into the lock. "Um...you know you said their meeting was sweet? I only saw the first part. Like, when he said her name and hugged her. Then I snuck away and stole a snow-globe."

Hiccup flipped open the lid and revealed a carefully stored P.O.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"Astrid! Stop yelling at me! I didn't think I would have to use it."

"You didn't _think_ at all!"

"Well I knew I'd be on the naughty list when North found out, but I thought it would be worth it. And it is."

"So you're really going through with this?"

"Merida's life might be in danger! Or worse! I'm going to ARENDELLE, 1878!"

….

Jack Frost sat on his throne in Arendelle, really, really, bored. Uncomfortable, he shifted around, finally settling upside down, his legs draped over the back of the throne. Elsa giggled.

"Stop fidgeting," Rapunzel said without moving her lips or breaking her charming smile.

"Meeting trade dignitaries is boring," Jack said. "None of them can see me anyway. Can I make it snow and freak them out?" Elsa hid a smirk behind a blue pastel fan and tried hard not to laugh.

"No," Rapunzel hissed as more ambassadors entered and bowed. "Stop making Elsa laugh!"

Jack sighed, flipping right-side up and slumping dejectedly. "I wish Hiccup were here."

At that moment, a portal opened in front of them, and Hiccup himself stumbled out onto the floor, Toothless following, the portal closing behind him. Everyone stared in amazement, especially Jack.

"Wow, I didn't think that would actually work," he said, astonished. "I wish a bowl of chocolate were here!"

"Your majesty," Eugene said, handing him a bowl full of assorted chocolates he had been saving just for that occasion.

"Nice," Jack said, popping a truffle in his mouth. "You want one?" he asked, holding it out to Hiccup.


	3. Chapter 3: Unexpected

**AN: apologies for the late update. I should be able to do more this week. **

Chapter 3: Unexpected

When Merida came-to, she found she was still in DunBroch, in the room with the tapestries.

"Just a dream then," she said, relieved. She sat up, but immediately she wished she hadn't. "Och! My head! Do dreams usually hurt this bad?"

Cautiously, she walked over to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Peering through the little window, Merida saw to her surprise that the hallway ended very abruptly, not where it was meant to. Her stomach dropped.

"Oh no. No!" She ran to the window and looked out at an empty field, surrounded by hundreds of guards. "This isn't DunBroch at all!" she exclaimed. "It's just a copy of the tapestry room! How long have I been in here?"

Panicking, she grabbed a chair and smashed it against the locked door, but all it did was break the little glass window. Even though she knew it would do no good, Merida stuck her head out and screamed. "Mum! Dad! Boys! Anyone! Help me!"

* * *

Elsa burst out laughing. Hiccup climbed out from underneath Toothless and looked behind him at the open mouthed and staring tradesmen.

"Um…am I interrupting something?"

"Nope! Absolutely not. We aren't doing anything of importance today," Jack said, nestling the bowl of chocolates in one arm and flying next to Hiccup. "Hang on tight," he said.

He picked Hiccup up by his vest and sat him down on the staff, then flew back over the thrones, picking up Elsa—who screamed happily—on the way out.

"Jack!" Rapunzel called. "Wait!" /span/p

"Sorry Rapunzel!" Hiccup yelled as Jack flew them out of the room. "I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important!"

Rapunzel sighed and looked out at the waiting dignitaries. She smiled apologetically. "I am terribly sorry about all this. It looks like we'll be taking an unforeseen break before we begin the meeting. Make yourselves comfortable. Uh, Wilbur! Show the men to their rooms, please. You may stay there until I return. I don't know how long this will take."

"What kind of sorcery is this?" the Duke of Wessleton demanded.

"Just magic, Duke. Just magic," Rapunzel said as she swept gracefully out of the room.

When the door closed behind her, however, she gleefully kicked off her heels and ran to the bedroom, where she found Elsa, Hiccup, and Olaf laughing together.

"Hi!" Hiccup said, running to hug her.

"Hiccup! I can't believe you're actually here! Where's Merida? Or Jack for that matter."

""He went to get Anna," Elsa said. "And specifically said not to say a word until they got back."

"Yeah, I heard she was on a date with Kristoff," Hiccup said. "How's that working out?"

"Great!" Olaf volunteered. "They make such a cute couple, they are totally going to get married someday and have, like, 15 kids…

Rapunzel smiled and talked over him. "Oh, you know Jack. Fierce as ever and extremely overprotective."

"My fault for kidnapping Elsa," Mavis said cheerfully as she came into the room.

Hiccup looked up and saw Mavis walking on the ceiling. "Oh, hey."

"Hi," she said, dropping onto the bed. "But who knows? Jack may have just been like that anyway."

Elsa laughed. "Maybe. It helps that Aunt Jill keeps him calm though. Honestly, they wouldn't have been able to sneak off at the party without her help."

"I thought they were able to sneak off because Toothless started 'dancing,'" Olaf said, finally breaking off his stream of predictions for Anna and Kristoff's future.

"Jill has her ways," Rapunzel said. "That was mainly her convincing him to do it at that exact moment."

"HICCUP!" Anna yelled as she and Jack soared in through the window. She leaped off the staff and crashed into his arms in a giant bear hug.

"Nice to see you, too," Hiccup gasped. "Grow any more beanstalks lately?"

Anna giggled. "Nope, not anymore. I've been careful. Where's Merida? I thought she would be here for the first visit in six months!"

"Oh, has it only been six months here?" Hiccup said. "It's hard to control when and where the portals take you."

"Yep, six months," Rapunzel said, linking arms with Elsa. "But," she said, eyeing him, "it looks like about a year has passed in Berk."

"True," Hiccup said, running his hands self-consciously through his hair.

"Where's Merida?" Anna asked again, concern growing in her eyes.

"Well…"

"Wait for me!" a voice down the hallway called. Rue entered the room, a slight frown on her face. "Don't think you could all just come in here and talk away without me!" She smiled and hugged Hiccup. "Welcome back," she said. "I'm glad to see you, but didn't North say you couldn't time travel any more?"

"Thanks. He did, but this is an emergency. Merida's been abducted."

"What?!" everyone said at once.

"Oh no, poor Merida!" Olaf said. "What are we going to do? We have to help her. We're going to help her right?"

"But, how?" Rapunzel asked, stuffing a carrot in the snowman's mouth. "That's not like Merida to let herself be abducted!"

"Wouldn't she fight off whoever was trying to kidnap her?" Jack said, floating above Hiccup.

"I don't know how it happened, I just got the news this morning. Well, my time anyway," he added, noting the sun's early morning position in the sky. "Dad and I were summoned to DunBroch, and Aunt Elinor told us all she knew. Apparently, a large suitor came to call earlier that day, but Merida naturally turned him down. He was angry when he left, even though he thought no one could see it."

"Do you think he kidnapped Merida?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know," Hiccup said. "All I know is, when I was at DunBroch on the night of a new moon, and one second there is a clear sky, and the next there's a full Moon right outside the window. And then Manny said "Arendelle," so I came here."

"Oh man, that is heavy! You are so going on the naughty list!" Olaf said, giggling slightly.

"I don't care," Hiccup said. "I just know she's in some kind of trouble. Big trouble. And I need your help."

"Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say we will all come and help," Rue said.

"Wait, what?" another voice asked, joining the conversation. They turned and saw Queen Primrose and Princess Mary Katherine standing in the doorway.

"Go where?" MK asked.

"Hi sis," Rue said with a slight wince. "I'd like you to meet Hiccup, Jack and Rapunzel's fellow Companion. Hiccup, this is my sister Primrose, who's visiting from Corona."

"Good afternoon, miladies," Hiccup said, bowing.

MK smiled and curtsied. She had only been a baby at Jack and Rapunzel's wedding, the last time Hiccup had seen her, so seeing her now as a young adult was a bit shocking.

"Hi," she said. "So where are you going?"

"We're going back in time to save Merida from a ferocious kidnapper," Olaf said cheerfully. "And we probably won't even make it back alive!"

"Really? Cool! I want to come!"

"No one said that, Olaf," Mavis said simultaneously.

"Absolutely not," Prim said. "I can't order everyone else to stay and disregard this foolish mission, but I can make you stay. Honestly, Rue! I know you're not the queen anymore, but you and Rapunzel leave Arendelle? And on the day your trade dignitaries come visiting for the convention, too."

"Aunt Prim," Rapunzel said. "A girl's life is in danger, and one of my best friends at that. You expect me to sit here through a trade convention while she is trapped?"

"No, I don't suppose I do. But I don't expect you, and Jack, and Elsa, and Anna, and Mavis and Rue to all run off like that!"

"We are going," Rue said stubbornly. "Whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it. But because I care about you, I'll pacify the tradesmen. For now. Come along, Mary Katherine," Prim said, leaving dramatically.

MK sighed. "It's because of dad," she muttered. King Thomas, sadly, had died 4 years earlier, and Prim was having the hardest time moving on. "That's why she won't let me go."

"She'll come around eventually," Rue said comfortingly as her niece left the room.

"With any luck we'll be home in a few minutes our time," Mavis said. "It will be like we never left."

"Or years," Anna muttered.

"Oh yeah, it will be great!" Olaf said.

"You stay here, Olaf," Elsa said gently. "It's going to be dangerous."

"But I want to help! I know Merida didn't like me all that much, ok she acted like she down right hated me, but I know that deep down inside she really did care."

"Stay here," Hiccup said, taking out a P.O. "DunBroch, 1353, September 15th."

The portal opened, and the Companions stepped in. Olaf stared in amazement at the glowing portal. He reached out one stick hand to touch it, and was sucked in with them. Immediately, rain soaked all seven people (except Olaf, who was protected by his flurry) and dragon to the bone. But beside from the rain, the first thing Hiccup noticed was the large tower in the middle of the field. Through the slender windows, he spotted a glimpse of red, frizzy hair.

"There!" he yelled into the wind. "Merida's in that tower, let's go!"

"Um, Hiccup?" Jack said nervously. "We have a bigger problem."

"What?" Hiccup looked around and found they were surrounded by hundreds of guards.

"Hi guys!" Olaf said. "I realize this looks really bad, but we come in peace!" Then he looked down and saw a sword sticking through his midsection. "Oh look, I've been impaled."

**AN: cliffhanger! Just a warning, but most chapters do end in cliffhangers. Please review and tell me what you think so far!**


	4. Chapter 4: Powerhouse

Chapter 4: Powerhouse

For a moment the guards were too stunned to move, giving the Companions a moment to draw their weapons. Then the guards charged, and from then on it was pure chaos. Elsa and Jack began freezing people left and right, Jack in the air and Elsa on the ground. Hiccup flew with Toothless, dodging or destroying thrown spears as they flew out of range and began blasting from above.

Looking over her shoulder, Elsa saw Mavis grab one of the frozen guard's swords and begin fighting anyone who dared to come near her. Olaf ran around with a stick, poking anyone who came near Anna and not paying the slightest attention if anyone tried to hurt him. Rapunzel shielded her mother as they backed out of the circle of guards, letting Rue run for help once she was free. Elsa grinned as she watched her own mother skillfully climb a wet, slippery tree, swinging down from her hair and taking out ten guards at once with her frying pans.

"Elsa, duck!" Jack called, knocking her down.

A massive fireball shot over her head. The soldiers in front of her ducked as well, but as they came up Elsa immediately froze them, while the fireball hit the second wall of guards. Elsa looked back and smiled at her younger sister, whose fires did not seem to be quenched by the rain, but Anna was pretty busy.

Trying to simultaneously bring out the sun and throw fireballs, Anna was going nuts with the heat. Grass was growing at her feet, almost four feet tall now, and heat waves were visibly flying from her body, instantly drying and burning everyone nearby. Unfortunately, the heat waves and fireballs took up too much energy, and she was unable to bring the light through the clouds.

Rapunzel saw Anna's exhaustion and fought her way over, dodging fireballs and heat waves.

"Anna, are you ok? How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she gasped, wiping the rain from her eyes. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Is the heat tiring?" Olaf asked. "'Cause to me that looks tiring. Shouldn't you rest? I think you should rest. And another thing…"

"You don't have to make the fireballs, you know," Rapunzel frowned. "Aaarrrrrggghh!" she screamed as she raced past Anna and clobbered a guy. "Because to me—Get back!—that's what looks the most tiring. And the heat waves-hiyah!-look almost automatic."

"They are," Anna said simply, sidestepping another warrior that had fallen to her mother's frying pan. "I don't know how I'm even doing it."

"Don't hurt yourself," Rapunzel said, leaping over a smoldering body to protect Elsa from an unforeseen attacker.

Elsa was trying her best to match Anna's heat waves with a frost wave, trying to protect herself and Rapunzel, but they were not consistent or predictable. But on the upside, at least they were taking out a lot of guards. She turned to see if Mavis needed any help, but she was gone.

"Mom!" Elsa said. "Where's Mavis?"

"I don't know," Rapunzel cried, binding several men in her hair and knocking them out one after another. "I haven't seen her in awhile."

"I don't see her anywhere," Anna said, dodging a stray plasma blast.

"Sorry!" Hiccup yelled, helping Toothless fight the wind.

"I'll go look for her!" Olaf said, running into the guards.

"Hiccup!" Elsa called. "Try to find Mavis! We lost her!"

"Got it!" Hiccup said, circling around.

Suddenly a spear went flying through the air, tearing through Toothless' prosthetic tail. Tumbling head over tail, Toothless and Hiccup crashed to the ground.

"Hiccup!" Rapunzel cried, rushing to him.

"I'm fine," Hiccup said. "I think I can fix it if you can give me some cover and time."

Rapunzel glanced around, looking at the hundreds of guards, numbering at least 800. All of them looking as fresh as daisies, because they hadn't gotten close enough to fight. The only thing they had done was run away from Jack and Hiccup's sky attacks, and most of them were still sitting underneath various shelters constructed to keep out the rain.

"I don't know if that's really possible," Rapunzel said. "We're going to be really busy."

* * *

Merida watched in agony as her friends fought for their lives.

"They're doing a great job," she said out loud, "considering the impossible odds, but would you just look at 'em! They're exhausted, wee lambs. Och, if only I could help them!"

She got up and began pacing the room. "But I don't even have a weapon! And they all know I'm useless without one. I don't have magic like the Frosts, I can't turn into a vampire bat or whatever Mavis does, and my dragon isn't here!"

Discouraged, she sat down on the window seat, trying to watch the battle. Unfortunately, rain blurred most of it. Half the time she couldn't see her friends at all. And frankly, it was depressing.

"Courage."

Merida looked up, but her room was empty, and the door hadn't budged. "Manny?" she asked. "Is that you? Did you send them?"

"Yes. Have courage, dearheart."

"I'm trying to," Merida said.

"You are not useless without a weapon."

"Oh yes, right. But I am useless in here. Couldn't you have transported them into my tower? That might have been a bit more help!" No response. "Manny? Hello?" She paused. "Ok. I'm sorry for being sarcastic. Could you please help out a bit more?"

There was still no reply. Merida groaned and stared out the window again. In the sea of blackness, she saw another redhead bouncing back and forth. She smiled. Anna was doing pretty well, and she hadn't even picked up a weapon yet.

_But she has powers,_ Merida reminded herself. _And I don't._

Suddenly, the red head disappeared, and it wasn't because of the rain. Even from inside the tower, she heard Rapunzel scream. Hiccup and Toothless were already nearby, and helped shield Anna as Rapunzel knelt down beside her. Jack raced down from the clouds and instantly formed an igloo over the little group.

"Anna!" Merida yelled. "Alright, that's it! I'm going out there! Nobody hurts my friends!"

Merida grabbed a chair and threw it at the door. When that produced no effect, she began repeatedly smashing it against the door over and over and over, determined to break free.

* * *

"Heal what has been hurt," Rapunzel sang. "Change the face design, save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine, what once was mine…"

"Wow," Elsa breathed, her hand still on a strand of Rapunzel's hair. "That was incredible, I feel stronger now. And…I'm completely dry!"

"It does that," Rapunzel explained. "Although the drying is new. I didn't know it could do that. How are you feeling, Anna?"

Anna sat up slowly, watching the last glow fade. She nodded, still slightly out of breath from the sudden attack. "I'm fine. Where's Olaf?"

"He ran off to the woods looking for Rue," Jack said. "He said something about getting more help."

"That was way too close," Hiccup said. "This is not working out very well."

"I know," Rapunzel said. "We should follow mom and come back later, but with a lot of reinforcements."

"But I still can't find Mavis! What if she's in trouble?"

"We aren't in the right position to help her, Elsa," Anna said.

"Jack, can you make this igloo explode like you did during our first Pitch and Gothel battle?" Rapunzel asked.

"Sure," Jack said. "Once it explodes, I'll build an ice wall—Elsa, help me if you can—that will separate us from the guards. When I do that, run as fast you can to the forest."

"Ok, Toothless and I are ready," Hiccup said.

* * *

Merida stared down at her bleeding hands and broken chair. Broken to smithereens, the chair was now useless. And to make matters worse, it had barely made a mark on the door.

"This isn't working!" she yelled in frustration.

Behind her, one of the logs in the fire cracked, breaking in two. In a burst of inspiration, Merida raced toward the fire and grabbed the iron poker. It slipped out of her bloody hands and flew towards the window seat. Inwardly cursing, Merida paused to wipe her hands on the tapestry, then raced to the door, jamming the rod into the hinges and pulling with all her strength. But all it did was bend the poker.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion, and a shard of ice pierced through one of the windows, sending wind and rain streaming in the small slot. Knowing the igloo had exploded from the inside out, she ran over and saw Jack and Elsa blasting away with their ice powers, building an ice wall to provide cover for a retreat.

"Way to go Jack!" Merida yelled into the storm.

Jack looked up and grinned, mouthing 'We'll be back.' Merida gave him a thumbs-up. With the wall complete, they turned and ran after the others, fighting against the wind.

Then Merida was distracted. Below her, the guards stirred, startled by the sudden appearance of a figure robed in black. Though she had never seen her captor, Merida knew instantly that this was The Master that Drago had talked about. Moving silently through the ranks of soldiers, he—she, it? Merida wasn't quite sure—produced a chilling effect on the guards. They drew back in absolute terror. Reaching the edge of the resting men, The Master looked out as the ones fighting tried to break down the ice wall. As if sensing the very presence of The Master, Jack and Elsa's wall shattered.

Merida gasped. From her vantage point, she could see that, coincidentally, none of the guards had even touched the wall at it's breaking moment. But she had no time to wonder how it happened, for the sea of men charged forward, and were quickly overtaking the Companions. Merida strained her eyes, trying to see through the rain. They were almost at the forest now, but Hiccup had been forced to land Toothless, and had somehow fallen behind the rest. A sense of dread slowly filled her body, as if she knew what was coming the moment before it happened.

Elsa turned around, shooting an ice wave from her hands before she had time to think. Simultaneously, both Merida and Elsa screamed. She had forgotten that Hiccup was behind her and walking on the ground.

"HICCUP!" Merida screamed, watching in horror as her cousin flew off Toothless and landed on the soggy ground with a thud. "No! No…Hiccup…"

She sank into her window seat, crying. Toothless turned towards Hiccup, and nuzzled him in confusion. He wouldn't move, why wouldn't his rider move? Even though the dragon didn't understand why, Merida understood perfectly.

Hiccup was frozen solid.


	5. Chapter 5: Divided

**AN: Thank you to aschi49 for reviewing! They really help me write/post faster. Enjoy chapter 5!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Divided

"Toothless! Pick him up!" Rapunzel yelled. "NOW!"

Toothless picked up Hiccup like a frozen chew toy and ran toward the others. Jack picked up his two daughters and dropped them on the dragon's back before gathering Rapunzel in his arms.

"Come on Toothless," Anna urged. Behind her, Elsa sat in stunned silence.

Finally they reached the woods, and although they were still pelted with rain, the wind blew less harshly. Anna fit her foot into the metal stirrup and opened the tail. Immediately Toothless jumped into the air and flew, dodging trees and bushes. Jack flew behind Toothless, letting him lead the way through the forest.

"Hey Anna," Jack called after they had been flying for some time. "See if you can land Toothless."

Anna eased the tail closed as gently as she could, but they quickly plummeted to the ground. Quickly, Elsa formed a snow bank, and they glided to a halt. Ahead of them was an abandoned hunter's shack, built almost entirely of stone and perfectly sealed to keep out the cold weather. Jack set Rapunzel down and ran over to Hiccup.

"Rapunzel, open the door," he said as gingerly held Hiccup. "Will he shatter if I drop him?" he asked Elsa.

"I-I don't know," she whispered. Toothless nudged her affectionately.

They filed into the house-a small two room apartment really. The main room had a wooden bed on one side and a fireplace and kitchen on the other. There was a small walk-in pantry next to the fireplace, and a trap door that led to the cellar.

"Anna, can you give me a fire, please?" Rapunzel asked as Jack laid Hiccup on the bed. "I can't heal him unless my hair can actually touch skin."

Anna nodded. Luckily there were a few dead logs left in the fireplace, and one small fireball later, heat filled the room. Tentatively, she walked back to the bed and clasped the Hiccup's ice hand between her own. Within a few seconds the ice began to slowly melt and drip off. But she didn't feel any better; she could sense something building in the room, like a dark invisible force.

Rapunzel quickly began wrapping her hair around Hiccup, encasing him in a golden blanket. Only his feet and head were exposed.

"Will he be ok?" Elsa asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Rapunzel said shortly. "You should really be more careful, Elsa."

"It wasn't my fault!" Elsa said. "I mean, I did it, but it was an accident. I forgot he was right behind me."

"Rapunzel, back off," Jack said.

Rapunzel cursed. "You're taking her side?"

"I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying it's not her fault."

"Well it's certainly not your fault, and Hiccup is frozen and nearly dead!" She looked accusingly at Elsa.

"I didn't mean too!" Elsa wailed, crying now. "This has never happened before!"

"Except when you froze Arendelle," Rapunzel muttered.

"Rapunzel!" Jack exclaimed as Elsa turned and fled. "What did you say that for? You had no right..."

"No right? Ok, now you're taking sides!"

"Because this isn't fair!" Jack protested. "Elsa has always had perfect controls over her powers, and she's right, this has never happened before! Arendelle only happened because she was under Mavis' control. And technically, it was MY storm over Arendelle."

"Elsa still froze the large portion surrounding it."

"It doesn't matter!" Jack yelled. "I'm every bit as upset as you are, but it's not Elsa's fault! Now I'm going after her." Without another word he flew out the door.

"Fine," Rapunzel said, spinning back towards Hiccup.

"She went left," Anna called meekly.

By this time she had mostly melted Hiccup's arms and his one good leg-although a frosty pattern remained- but she didn't dare try his head. Anna didn't want to hurt him even more. Rapunzel blew out an angry breath and began to sing.

Anna watched in puzzlement. Nothing happened. There was a glow, of course, but nothing else. No magic, no healing. Just the darkness that had been growing throughout the argument.

"Mom?"

"I see it. He's still too much ice. Anna, you're going to have to melt the ice around his head."

Anna bit her lip nervously. "I don't think I can."

"You don't have to do fire, only heat."

Taking a slow, deep breath, Anna held her hands over Hiccup's frozen face. He looked shocked, like he was unable to believe what had just happened. Slowly, gradually, she turned up the heat, and the ice began to melt. The moment it did, however, Anna knew she'd made a mistake. Hiccup struggled to breathe, but because his chest was still frozen solid could not.

"Hang on, Hiccup!" She said as she frantically began melting the ice around his heart.

"This is not good," Rapunzel murmured, feeling his pulse. "He can't breathe and he doesn't have a pulse."

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Anna said, hoping she wouldn't be blamed like Elsa was. Her hands erupted in flames and she quickly turned down the heat.

Finally it was clear, and Hiccup's heart began to beat again. His breathing leveled out.

"Oh thank goodness," Rapunzel gasped. She re-covered her friend completely, and sang the song again. And again, nothing happened. "What's wrong with it?" she asked angrily.

"There's no magic. Something else is keeping the magic from flowing," Anna said.

"More magic?" Rapunzel suggested.

"No," Anna said slowly. She closed her eyes, a trick she'd learned from Robert, and gasped, suddenly realizing what the dark force was. "You."

"Me?!"

"Your anger. It may sound silly, but you're too angry to heal him right now."

"But..."

"You need to go after them and apologize," Anna said firmly. "It won't work until then."

This wasn't entirely true; Anna could sense her mother's anger deflating fast, but she wanted everything to be settled within her family.

Rapunzel looked down at Hiccup, who was still unconscious. Sighing, she stood up.

"I guess you're right. Are you sure you'll be alright here?"

"I can't leave Hiccup alone," Anna said.

"Ok then," Rapunzel said, although she looked reluctant to go. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Which way did you say they went?"

"Left," Anna said. "Bye." Rapunzel waved and ran after the others. "I guess it's just you and me," she said. Toothless moaned and nudged her. Anna smiled. "You too, Toothless. Now, Hiccup, let's see what I can do about melting the rest of your ice."

There was not much left, and within a half hour Hiccup was back to normal. Well...almost. Toothless sniffed him uncertainly and looked questioningly at Anna. Looking over her patient, Anna laughed.

"He looks like dad," she giggled.

Toothless roared in disapproval and licked his rider's face. Hiccup woke up with a jolt and yelped in alarm.

"It's ok, calm down," Anna said, still giggling. "You're fine now."

"Holy cow, what happened? Merida, and Elsa...?"

"Merida's still in the tower, we had to call a retreat. Elsa accidentally froze you solid. You couldn't breath for awhile, but we healed you. Sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's not a mirror in here, but...your hair is white." Anna couldn't help laughing again. "You look a little but like dad with green eyes. Sorry."

Hiccup looked down and yelped again. "What the...! Look at me! Is this frost? I look like...like...like a snow cupcake or something!"

Frosty swirls decorated Hiccup's arms and face, and the tips of his fingers were pure sky blue. Not a good color. A thick layer of frost covered his vest, making it look more like a creamy beige, and his tunic had a light layer of ice as well, making it minty green.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Anna said, the laughter dying as she could sense Elsa's magic pulling away at his life. "Mom and I did everything we could."

"I'm dying," he stated simply.

"Yes. For the moment, anyway. You see, something happened while you were unconscious."

"Does it have to do with the fact that we're the only ones here?"

Anna nodded; she could feel the tears threatening to spill over. "There was an argument, and Elsa ran away. Dad took her side...and...mom got angry. Dad flew after Elsa, but mom couldn't heal you. She tried, but here was too much anger and it stopped the magic. I could see it...well, sort of. It's complicated, a lot more so than the tower."

"What tower? The one where Merida is trapped? Merida is trapped in a MAGIC TOWER!?" Hiccup yelled, enraged. "And just WHEN were you going to tell me this?"

"Oh, sorry," Anna said, pushing him back down onto the bed. "I forgot you can't see magic. The whole battlefield reeked of it. The shelters where the guards rested, too, that's why you and Toothless couldn't blow them up..."

"I didn't see those shelters. I thought the dumb guys were just sitting in the rain."

Anna nodded. "Disguising is part of it. I bet the doors inside the towers are magic too. And the wall crumbled because magic overtook it, some sort of black spell..."

"Did you recognize it?" Hiccup asked. "The signature color of the magic, I mean. If we can figure out who we're up against here..."

"Black magic is always the same, no matter who uses it," Anna said, shaking her head. "But I know one thing for sure: whoever this villain is, he's good.

"Or she, we don't know yet," Hiccup said. "If there's one thing I've learned, never underestimate a girl. Astrid, Merida, Rapunzel...hey, even you and Elsa. Dangerous stuff. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean..."

"No, you're right!" Anna exclaimed, the color draining from her face. "We are dangerous, but especially TOGETHER. Whoever captured Merida knew what she/he was doing. Hiccup, the enemy WANTS us to be split up!"

She ran to the door and looked out. Over to the left a blizzard was raging, full of magic, both black and teal—it looked like autumn had been cut short. There was no way Rapunzel would be able to find Jack or Elsa, whether they had found each other already or not.

"I think they've succeeded," Hiccup said weakly.

* * *

**AN: So far, only aschi49 has reviewed. Now I know I have a few other readers out there, so please, will you also review and let me know what you think?**


	6. Chapter 6: Storms

**AN: I am SO SO SO SORRY for the long wait! School started and it's been crazy. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can! **

Chapter 6: Storms

Merida looked out her window despairingly. "Oh Hiccup…" she sobbed. "What has she done?" The princess leapt up. "I have to get out of here! I have to help!" She screamed in frustration, tugging at the door with all her might. Suddenly, it hit her. "The window!"

She ran to the window and experimentally thrust her hand out. Merida could feel the rain and wind stinging her bare arm. Looking down at the guards, she saw The Master had left, and she called out.

"Hi! You down there! Do yew mind if I stick mah head out of this broken window? Ah haven't had a decent bath in ages, and yew don't want ta know what my hair is like when it 'asn't had a good bath!"

"Er, what did she say?" one of the men asked.

"She's asking permission to stick her head out," Drago growled.

"Ah just want to make sure yew won't try to skewer me," Merida yelled, trying to sound scared.

"Alright, fine!" Drago called up. "But only for a minute!"

Merida grinned to herself and thrust her head out the narrow slot. It barely fit, and her curls caught on the rough edges of stone, but she discovered it was fairly easier than she had first thought. Now she had a proper view of the ground, and it too was much higher than she had expected.

"Thank yew," Merida called, trying to buy some time. She ran her hands through her hair, although she hated when it got wet. "This is wonderful!"

"That's enough," Drago yelled. "Get back in your room!"

Merida slid back inside, looking disappointed and scared. But inside she was very happy, almost giddy. She had just what she needed to know.

"Well, since Ah don't have a weapon, I'll have to use mah wits. A 30 foot drop, surrounded by guards who barely understand me but can easily take me down. And I'm stuck in the tapestry room. Och, it couldn't have been the storage room, or the armory! Of all places this is the room where I'd hate to be stuck in. Hmm."

She stared at the big tapestry of her and Elinor, at the many warm blankets on the bed, and the sewing basket in the corner. A hint of an idea began to form in her mind.

* * *

"ELSA! Elsa, where are you?!" Jack yelled into the storm.

He was completely lost in her blizzard. Knowing Elsa was upset, Jack had flown after her as fast as he could, hoping to calm her down and comfort her, but the storm had enveloped him, the swirling mass of snowflakes blinded him. He tried to suck it up in his staff, but to know avail. Elsa was too hurt and distressed. Jack was mad. They were supposed to be working together to rescue Merida, not fighting.

"Elsa!" he called again.

"I know where your precious daughter is," a voice said behind him.

Jack whirled around, ready to strike. A figure had crept up behind him, shrouded in a dark robe.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am The Master," she said in a crackly voice. Jack could feel her smiling evilly; a shiver ran down his spine.

"Are you the one who kidnapped Merida?" he growled. "Do you have Elsa, too?"

"Yes, I kidnapped your little friend. But I don't have Elsa. She is…useless to me. Too unpredictable. I like that in people, she would make a good sidekick, but that has already been tried by Mavis."

"Then why would I trust you to lead me to her safely?" Jack asked, trying not to get angry at her for calling Elsa useless.

"Because you have no choice. You're family is ripping apart, Jack Frost. You know that, you could feel it. Anna is hiding something, it is why she did not speak up during the argument."

"You saw…but how? What is it that you want?"

"That is for me to know and you to find out. Now, hand over your staff immediately, and I will lead you to Elsa."

"You're lying," Jack said. "I can find her on my own, thank you very much!"

"You fool!" The Master screeched. "She will kill herself if you don't calm her down!"

"Lies," Jack said, although he was beginning to doubt.

"She thinks her mother despises her for what she had done, she thinks Anna does not care! She is waiting for you to come, but now you never will!" The Master ripped off her robe.

Jack gasped in shock, jumping backwards.

"Now, now you see why you are all doomed!" the old woman said, racing forward. She grabbed Jack's staff and broke it in two.

"No!" he yelled.

"It's too late, Jack," she said, laughing in glee. "It's too late! You will never escape this storm, Elsa will never be found and will die alone in misery!" She cackled, still advancing on Jack.

Jack thrust out his hands, trying to summon a frost wave, but without his staff he was useless. He had no powers. "How…you were…!"

"No, I wasn't!" she screamed hysterically. "You have no idea how much I'm enjoying this, Jack. All those years, hiding in the shadows, watching you prosper, letting your guard down just enough so that Mavis could steal your child! Oh it was heartbreaking when you got her back, when Mavis switched sides, but it has all been worth it! This moment, right here! I relish it, Jack!"

"You won't get away with it," Jack said. "I am not alone! You will be beaten!"

"You are wrong, child," she said, grinning. Her grey hair flew backwards in the wind, producing an eerie effect. "Merida is trapped in a magic tower, with no way to get out! Your daughter might have unfrozen Hiccup, but he is still weak and Elsa's magic is draining him! Rapunzel is trying in vain to find you, but there is magic in the air. She will fail, come right to me, and fall right into my trap! I have only to take her out, and the Companions are done for!"

"The Guardians," Jack said, looking around for a weapon. "There are still the Guardians."

"You know they cannot defeat me."

She snarled and snapped her fingers. An invisible force picked Jack up and threw him against the mountain wall, nearly knocking him unconscious. Then The Master snapped again, and he fell into a deep canyon. She walked to the edge and looked down at him.

"Enjoy your last few moments of consciousness, Jack Frost. For here I will defeat your darling Rapunzel."

"No…" Jack groaned, trying to get up.

"Jack!" Rapunzel called in the distance.

"Stop," Jack whispered, fighting to stay awake. "Go back."

The Master laughed quietly. "I'm over here!" she yelled in a perfect imitation of Jack's voice.

"Jack!" Rapunzel said, now closer. "Jack, I'm…"

She stopped, seeing the witch. For a split second there was absolute silence as the fear built up within her. Then Rapunzel screamed. Jack forced himself awake and mustered up the last of his energy.

"RUN!" he screamed. Then he blacked out.

* * *

Merida's needle flashed in and out of the tapestry. She was careful not to separate the images of her and her mother, instead rolling it up and sewing it together. Hurriedly she curled her rope up and stuffed in under the bed. Just in time, too, for at that moment a guard knocked on her door. She ran over and took the food from him, glad she had not been caught.

She knew now that her prison was magic. Everything, down to the last detail of her memory was there. Even the tiny knot where her fingers had slipped while making the tapestry. Some places were a little blurry, places where in the real room she had never spent much time. Merida was just glad she had thought the windows were bigger. In the real tapestry room, they were much too small to escape from.

The room was made up of her memory. Only one person knew how to take a memory of something and make it real. Merida was quite certain who The Master was. And she did not like it one bit.


	7. Chapter 7: Completed

Chapter 7: Completed

Rapunzel screamed in terror. Dimly, she heard Jack screaming for her to run, but she suddenly she was too angry.

"You!" she screamed. "You are DEAD!"

"No, darling flower!" The Master said. "I'm not! I never died in the first place."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Rapunzel yelled. "You are not my mother!"

"I raised you, didn't I?" Gothel asked.

"No! You left me in a tower! I found my real mother!"

"Yes, and now you're queen," Gothel said blandly.

"How are you still alive?"

"You," she said simply. "When you were hurt with my knife, nobody bothered to look out the window to make sure I was dead. You fools. I'm a witch! I had just enough time to transport myself. I was afraid you would find me and hunt me down, but you all were just too happy! I suppose you and Jack were to blame for that. Peace at last, finally some time to yourselves. But it didn't matter. I waited for just the right moment to enact my revenge! And here we are." She smiled. "I'll give you one last chance, Rapunzel. Join me, and your daughters will be safe. I wish I could say the same thing for Jack, but unfortunately he has already declined."

"I will never join you!" Rapunzel said.

"Hmm, too bad," Gothel said, pursing her lips in a pouty face. "I could have used you, or particularly your hair for a good long while. Forever, even."

Rapunzel drew out a frying pan from her hair—amazing what she could store in there—and held it out threateningly. "I will NEVER let you use my hair! For Merida!" she screamed, running furiously towards Gothel.

Gothel sighed and snapped her fingers casually, disappearing in an instant. Rapunzel flailed her pan in the air, but it did nothing. She raced back to the chasm and leaned over. By this time, Jack had regained consciousness.

"Jack! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. She broke my staff, though."

"Jack, I'm sorry for what I said back at the cabin," Rapunzel said, throwing her hair down to him. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's ok," Jack said, grabbing hold. "To quote Hiccup, we were all under a lot of stress."

Rapunzel smiled. "Have you found Elsa?"

"No, Gothel's magic will keep us from finding her. We need Anna to…"

Suddenly Rapunzel was jerked backwards. Gothel leaned over and pulled the remaining hair from Jack's hands.

"Well that was much easier than I thought," she said, chaining Rapunzel to the ground. "Honestly, I thought you had learned your lesson from last time."

"No!" Jack yelled.

"Oh, are you still down there, Jack? I want you to see this," she said, pulling him up into the air and pinning him against the wall so he had a clear view.

Jack struggled, but could not move. Rapunzel lay motionless on the ground, still conscious but also held in a vice-like grip of Gothel's magic.

"Flower gleam and glow," Gothel began to sing. "Let your power shine."

"No! Stop it!" Jack yelled, realizing what was happening. The wrinkles on her face began to smooth over, and black crept through her hair.

"Let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine." She sighed deeply, relishing her new strength and age. "Now I am stronger than ever before. Thank you, Rapunzel. This should last several days, long enough for Hiccup, Anna, and Elsa to die."

Jack stared, uncomprehending. Then Gothel drew out a knife. Rapunzel's eyes widened, and she fought the magic restraining her, but could not escape. Jack watched in horror as Gothel cut off Rapunzel's beautiful golden hair.

* * *

Anna fell to the ground in pain, clutching her heart.

"Anna!" Hiccup called, trying to get up.

"No, stay," Anna managed.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked. "You were fine just a second ago."

"I don't know. Toothless," Anna gasped. "Come here."

Toothless came over, concerned, and helped Anna to her feet. She looked at Hiccup, confused. Then she stumbled to the door and opened it, looking out at the woods on one side and Elsa's blizzard on one side. The blizzard was slowly moving closer towards them. Anna slammed the door shut.

"Anna? What's wrong?"

She collapsed on the bed, unable to stand any longer. "Magic. There's no…magic anywhere. I can't…I can't see it."

The fire spluttered. In a sudden burst of panic, Anna tried to reenergize it, but found it impossible. She could not make any fire, or heat. All magic had been drained from her.

* * *

Rapunzel sat bolt upright. Everything was blurry, both her sight and her memory. She knew she had been unconscious, but she was not sure for how long.

Abruptly, her vision cleared. Looking around, she saw she was in a room made completely of ice.

"Elsa's ice palace," she breathed. "But how? That's not even in this time…"

Panicking, she ran to the door. Or where the door should've been, because it was not there. It was solid ice. Rapunzel turned and ran past the fountain and up the stairs to the second level. She darted across the snowflake, still as perfect as ever. Luckily, the doors to the balcony were still there, and she threw them open.

A blizzard raged around her, the same one she had been in moments before, but it was now much bigger…and stronger. Rapunzel closed the doors quickly, barely glimpsing the huge snowmen guards beneath her. They did not look as friendly as Olaf.

"So I'm definitely still in DunBroch," she said, starting to shiver a little. "Gothel must have transported the castle here magically. Great."

She began walking around the palace, trying to keep warm. Looking down, she realized she was still barefoot, her shoes tossed carelessly aside back in sunny Arendelle. Rapunzel wandered around the palace, exploring the secret rooms. She had wanted to look around Elsa's old home, but Elsa hadn't been ready to go back yet, so they hadn't been to the castle since Elsa's freeze.

Finally she found Elsa's room, and gasped in wonder. Snowflakes were suspended midair, capturing the light from the thin ice window and sending rainbows to every corner. Delicate carvings decorated the walls, everything from Olaf, the sun…and in the corner a tiny image of Rapunzel. One sliver of memory had remained in Elsa's young mind, and she had been smart enough to hide the carving from Mavis.

Smiling, Rapunzel grabbed an old, tattered blanket from the forgotten bed, and turned to go. As much as she wanted to stay, she knew she had to keep moving to stay alive. But then she stopped, staring into a mirror at Elsa's ice desk. Stunned, she walked forward and touched her reflection, not believing it.

Her hair, once long and golden, was now short, ragged, and brown.

* * *

Hiccup shivered as the fire burned lower.

"You can't make heat anymore, can you?"

"No," Anna whispered. "It must be some sort of magic spell. And we don't have any other kindling. Toothless can light a fire, but there's nothing to burn except your bed, and we can't do that."

"Any other bad news?" Hiccup asked sarcastically, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

"The blizzard is coming nearer," Anna cried. "It's almost here."

"So basically…?"

"Unless someone finds us and brings wood, we're dead meat."

* * *

**AN: Gothel is BACK! Did anyone guess it before the big reveal? I know, I'm sorry about the cliffhangers. I'll try to post again soon!**


	8. Chapter 8: Ice and Snow

Chapter 8: Ice and Snow

_Almost done_, Merida thought as she frantically sewed the last blanket to the others.

It would be a cold night tonight, but worth it. All the pieces of her plan were finally together, as long as she could get out at the right moment. Hopefully, her friends had survived and would be able to help her. There was no guarantee, but it was a hope she held on to with fervor.

_If they cahn't help me, then Ah 'ave to get out and help them!_

* * *

Anna shivered and moved closer to the fireplace, which had now burned completely out. Only cinders and ash remained, sending up tiny tendrils of smoke that reminded her vaguely of magic trails. She wished she could see them again. Without the visible magic, the world seemed so much darker…and colder. Then again, at the moment all Anna's thoughts ended with _colder_, or _cold_, or _freezing_.

Looking up at the bed, she could see Hiccup had fallen asleep—or unconscious—again. He must have felt worse than Anna did, since he had ice inside and out. She wondered if she was starting to look like him, since her fingers had started to turn blue. Anna shivered again, and tried to think warm happy thoughts, to somehow mentally fight against the frostbite. But nothing came to mind. Her mind was sluggish with the cold.

Suddenly the door blew open, sweeping wind and snow into the hut. Anna groaned and sat up, inching her way forward to close it. Instead, the snow did it for her. Then a carrot floated through the air and looked down at her, and the snow widened, forming a mouth like a freakish horror story.

_That's it. I'm losing my mind. I'm just seeing things. _"Hyperventilating. Hyper…hyper something."

"Um, Anna? Are you ok?" a familiar yet strange voice asked.

"Snow can't talk. I'm hyperventilating."

"You're breathing just fine to me." The snow tilted sideways. "Oh! I get it! You mean hallucatation."

"What? Hungry." Anna reached up and grabbed the floating carrot. She didn't care how freaky it was, she needed food.

"Hey! That's my nose!" the snow said as she quickly devoured the carrot. "Oh never mind, you need it more than I do. Gosh, it's kind of cold in here. I think we should have a fire in here. Do you want a fire?"

"Mmm. Fire," Anna mumbled. "I used to make fire. Now I can't."

"Hallucination," Hiccup managed to say from the bed.

"Oh! Hallucination! I knew I'd remember it eventually. Thanks, Jack."

"I'm Hiccup. Just make the fire, Olaf."

"Alright, alright."

"Olaf…" Anna whispered as she blacked out. "Warm…hugs…"

Hiccup fell out of bed. He didn't mean to, but he fell anyway. He crawled on frozen hands and knees to the fireplace, once again roaring with life. Anna was still lying on the floor, unconscious and probably getting frostbite.

"What happened?" Olaf asked, cradling Anna's head in his thin stick arms.

Although it was still difficult to talk, Hiccup managed to tell Olaf the whole story. Near the end, Anna woke up, staring into the nearby flames.

"Oh hey! You're awake!" Olaf exclaimed happily.

"Olaf? When did you get here?" Anna asked.

"A few minutes ago. You saw me, but you thought you were hallucinating. You ate my carrot."

"Oh. Sorry." She looked around the room. "Where's mom?"

"She still hasn't come back yet," Hiccup said. "Anna, I wouldn't count on her coming back."

Anna closed her eyes, trying hard not to cry. She knew it would happen eventually. But she was scared to face the truth. Rapunzel could face the cold longer than most people could, but unless the storm stopped, she would freeze to death. Just like Anna.

"She's going to die," she whispered. "We're all going to die."

"Hey, it's ok," Olaf said gently. "You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you."

Hiccup glanced towards the door. There were no windows in the house, but he could hear the wind moaning outside. Despite Olaf's comforting words, he knew there was nothing Olaf could do. Only Elsa could save them now.

* * *

Elsa held up her hand against the swirling storm. She couldn't see more than 2 feet in front of her, and was completely lost.

_Just give up!_ harsh, raspy voices screamed.

Elsa wanted to fight. She didn't want to give in to fear, but as she ran on, struggling to find her way back to a familiar landmark, the stone cottage, Merida's tower, anything, it began to feel hopeless.

_Hopeless, yes, yes! Hopeless and worthless! You can never amount to anything, monster!_

"I am not a monster!" Elsa cried into the storm. But all she heard was a distorted echo. 'I'm a monster!' "No, it's not true!"

_Isn't it?_ The voices almost sounded disappointed, as if they'd been lied to. _You disappointed and angered your mother! You let her down, and she fears you. You made your family fight! Isn't that what monsters do?_

"No!" Elsa said, but this time she was not as confident.

_Your powers are getting out of hand! You have become lost in your own storm, and it's killing the land! Yes, you are truly hopeless! _the voices sang cheerfully.

Elsa sank to the ground, sobbing. She could not fight against it any longer. Not alone.

"Aunt Mavis, I need your help! Where are you?"

* * *

GoMavis knew her situation was pretty hopeless. She wanted to try and escape, but it was no use. Eventually, Gothel would track her down and threaten her to return. Just like she had done that morning in the middle of battle.

Lounging on a replica of her old bed (or maybe the same, it was hard to tell), Mavis wanted to kick herself. She had abandoned her friends because her mother had threatened her.

"Weak. That's what I am: weak."

"Mavis weak!" Maggie's crow squawked from the other side of the room. Mavis had tried asking it where it had disappeared to before she had been frozen and Maggie's cottage had been exploded, but it had refused to answer. Stubborn crow.

"Who knows what kind of trouble my friends are in."

"Family," the crow squawked.

"What?"

"You're with family now! Tralalala!"

Mavis scowled. She wanted to blast that annoying crow to bits. "I was wrong. Gothel doesn't love me, and I don't think she ever did. I was only meant to be a sidekick. A tool." The words tasted bitter. "I am a Frost now. They're my family, and I left them!"

"Yeap, Mavis weak!"

"Shut up!"

Mavis hurled her pillow at the crow, sending him flying sideways into a bookcase but avoiding the pillow. He squawked indignantly as Gothel walked in.

"Now Mavis," she said, frowning. "Why would you do a thing like that?"

"He's annoying. Almost as much as you," Mavis seethed angrily. "Where are you keeping my family?"

"Your family? What on earth are you talking about?"

"The Frosts, Hiccup, and Merida," Mavis said angrily. "They are my family now. Not you. I demand that you release them."

Gothel laughed heartlessly. "You can't even release yourself from this cottage. It's protected by a spell, you know. One you were not taught for a reason."

Mavis glared at her, but knew she was right. Like the ice palace they had seen on the way up and Merida's tower, it was built from memories, Gothel's memories, of the Maggie's old cottage. Every thing was exactly the same: every brick, plank of wood, and everything Maggie had owned.

"Where are they?" Mavis asked again.

"Hiccup and Anna are dying," Gothel said, smiling cruelly. "Hiccup from Elsa's ice; wasn't it lovely of her to help me out? Jack is trapped in a chasm, Elsa is stuck in her storm, Merida is still in the tower, and Rapunzel…" She paused, relishing the victory. "Rapunzel is sealed in Elsa's ice palace."

Mavis grinned. "Jack and Rapunzel will escape," she said confidently.

"How? Will Rapunzel let herself down from the balcony with her hair? And I suppose Jack will fly out of the canyon?" Mavis smile melted. "I really thought you knew me better, dear. I'm much smarter than that. Honestly, I thought Jack did too. Breaking his staff was quite easy. He was so shocked at my appearance, he simply let me take it from him."

"And Rapunzel?" Mavis asked, her throat dry.

"Her hair has been now been cut ridiculously short," Gothel said with a laugh. "It will take years to grow back to it's former length. Except that it has lost all of it's powers, including growth. That's what's killing Anna, you know. She is so strongly connected to Rapunzel's magic, that it was all too easy."

"How?" Mavis asked, stunned.

"Poison, obviously," Gothel said, giving a swift glance over at the book shelves. "I simply extended the spell to Anna. Aren't I brilliant? Now if you don't mind, I'm going to put an end to my victims, now that they have suffered. I wonder who I should deal with first? See you in a few hours, Mavis," she said, putting stress on her daughter's name.

Mavis was perfectly fine with that. Gothel's nervous glance at the books had given her an idea. Several ideas, in fact, if only she had enough time…


	9. Chapter 9: Bear with me

Chapter 9: Bear with me

"Is this a joke?" Rue asked in surprise.

"No," Elinor replied firmly. "I believe it is the only way."

The two queens, fast friends despite meeting only minutes earlier, were discussing a way to help Merida escape from her tower. What Elinor proposed…well, Rue simply did not believe it could be done.

"Look, if there really are a thousand guards, we'll never overtake them all. We don't have enough soldiers for that! Even if I could summon the McGuffins, MacIntoshs, and Dingwalls, plus Berk's dragon riders, we still would be a rather small army. Our best shot is to get Merida out secretly, without any of her guards know."

"Yes, but, a _bear_? Is it safe?"

"Probably not," Elinor admitted. "But we don't have time to get a dragon, which would be preferable. Oh don't worry," she said, seeing Rue's anxious face. "I've had plenty of experience with bears."

Rue was about to protest more, when between them a brightly colored portal opened, and Princess Mary Katherine tumbled out. She was wearing a pink hoodie and strange looking brown shorts, definitely _not_ something Rue expected her niece to wear.

"Oh, hi Aunt Rue," MK said somewhat nervously. "I guess this means I'm in the right time now?"

"I think so," Rue said, puzzled.

"What on earth are you wearing?" Elinor exclaimed.

"Well, I ended up in the 21st century and got stuck there for awhile…it's a long story, but my traveling dress was ruined. Professor Bomba was very nice though, he bought me some modern clothes. They're quite comfortable actually."

"MK, I'm very glad to see you, but you're not supposed to be time traveling, dear," Rue said gently.

"Well technically neither are any of you guys. I figured since everyone else was breaking the rules, why couldn't I?"

"That is never a good rule to follow," Elinor said rather sternly. "But in this case, we are glad you are here. We do need help."

"All of the Companions have disappeared," Rue said. "We landed in the middle of battle when we first arrived. I went to get help, but by the time I came back only the guards remained to guard Merida. At the moment, she's the only one we know the exact location to."

"That's not very helpful," MK said. "What can I do to help?"

"How much experience do you have with bears?" Elinor asked. "Or wild animals in general for that matter."

"Funny you should ask," she said, laughing. "I just spent a week living with an advanced society of tiny people living in the woods in the 21st Century. Nod taught me a few things…" her eyes got a dreamy, far-away look in them.

"Nod?" Elinor asked, confused.

"My…friend."

"Oh dear," Rue said. "Well, time for that later. For now, let's go train a bear."

* * *

"Shouldn't you go first? I know absolutely nothing!" Rue protested.

"Alright, but watch closely."

Elinor crept out of the bushes on all fours and approached the bear calmly, making low growling noises deep in her throat. The bear looked up, and was slightly confused. Then it growled. Unable to watch, MK hid her face in her hands. Suddenly, Rue gasped. When MK opened her eyes, she saw with amazement Elinor, petting the bear's head.

"Come on out," she said. "It's alright."

"How on earth did you do that?" Rue asked, astonished.

"I was a bear once."

"Umm…"

"Hey, after the Leafmen, I'll believe just about anything," MK said. "What's next?"

"Unfortunately, I only know how to approach a bear and let it know that we are friends and aren't going to hurt it. I don't actually know how to train a bear."

"Well that's kind of a problem."

"Don't worry," Mary Katherine said. "This is where I come in. We trained bear cubs to invade the boggans."

"I'm not even going to ask," Rue said. "Just tell me what to do."

* * *

Elsa concentrated on breathing.

"In and out, in and out. Calm down," she told herself. "Control it."

_You can't control fear_, the voices hissed. _You can't do anything, monster!_

Elsa looked up, determination suddenly etched on her face. The voices were right: she couldn't control fear, and she couldn't control her powers if she was afraid.

"That is a lie!" she said firmly. "I am not a monster! I am Elsa May Frost, daughter of Rapunzel and Jack Frost! And no matter what you say, they love me, and I love them!"

At that moment, she forced all fear to leave her mind, thinking only of her family and those she loved. The voices ceased whispering, the wind stopped howling, and the snowflakes stopped where they were, suspended in mid-air. Gently, Elsa lowered them to the ground. The storm had stopped.

Now the only problem was the snowdrifts decorating the Scotland terrain. Elsa didn't know how to gather up her snow like Jack did, but she forced the snow clouds that had gathered to disperse.

"Sorry Scotland," she said. "Looks like you'll have a snow day."

* * *

Merida watched as the last rays of the sun disappeared. Below her, two dozen guards patrolled the field. The rest had been called off by Gothel, and Merida wasn't sure whether to be relieved or distressed. It would be an easier escape for sure, but where had they gone?

The waiting was the hardest part. After what seemed like hours, she heard the first snore from below, and others soon followed. Grinning, Merida pulled her makeshift escape rope from under the bed and wrapped it through the window slot. Slowly she let it fall down, tensely waiting for any cry of alert. None came. Extremely cautious, she slipped through the window, hanging onto the rope for dear life.

Inch by inch she creeped down, praying the connecting threads wouldn't break. It was slow, hard work, and after awhile she stopped paying attention to her surroundings so she could focus on the task.

_Must…get…to Hiccup,_ she thought as she struggled downwards.

"Merida!" a voice whispered. Merida squeaked and nearly fell the rest of the way. "Sorry, it's just me!"

"Me who?" Merida snarled. "Whoever it is Ah will personally pummel yew when I get down there!"

There was a moment of silence. "Queen Rue. I came to rescue you."

"Oh. Sorry." Suddenly Merida looked around at the empty field. "Um, where are the guards?"

"Missie took care of them, don't worry. Keep coming, you're almost there."

Merida continued her descent. "Who's Missie?" she grunted.

"The bear we trained."

"Bear!" Merida exclaimed as she slipped another few inches. "Never mind, you're distracting me."

"Oh, Merida? You're rope is about 10 feet too short."

"Ok, Ah'm just going to tune you out now."

"Merida!" Rue hissed. "Oh fine. Forward, Missie!"

Rue nudged the bear forward until she was beneath Merida. Motioning her ride to stay still, the queen carefully stood on it's back like a circus perfomer.

"Och!" Merida cried as she discovered the rope ended before it reached the ground. "Where's the rope?"

"Hold on, I got you!" Rue said with a laugh as she lowered Merida safely down. "Like I said, 10 feet too short. But at that point you tuned me out. Now come on, let's go pick up MK and the others. Come on, Missie!"

"Whoa!" Merida yelled as the bear charged back towards the woods. "What on earth did Ah miss?"

"I'm not sure, I missed a lot too. But long story short, Mary Katherine came from Corona to help and together we trained a bear. She's pretty good, too. Got rid of those measly guards silently."

"Where's Hiccup? Is he ok?"

"I don't know, I left in the middle of battle to get help. I expect he's fine."

Merida felt a growing sense of panic rise within her. "Where's Mary Katherine?"

"Oh, she spotted a fire burning in the middle of the snow and went to investigate."

"Hurry," Merida said, kicking Missie's side. "Hurry!"

The bear lunged forward into a choppy gallop.

"What is it?" Rue asked as she bounced up and down.

"Something is very, very wrong," Merida said, peering ahead into the darkness.

Suddenly she smelled fire and guided Missie in that direction. Finally she could make out a stone cabin resting in the hillside, smoke pouring out of it's chimney. Leaping off the bear, she ran for the door.

"Hiccup!" she yelled.

Mary Katherine stood in the now open doorframe, clearly distraught. "Come quick!" she said, wringing her hands in distress. "Hiccup and Anna are dying!"

"Hiccup!" Merida cried, rushing past MK.

Hiccup was lying close to the fire, his back warmed by Toothless. His hair was completely white and his skin almost blue. Shivering, he looked up and gave his cousin a weak smile.

"Hey, Mer," he whispered.

"Hiccup, no," Merida said, crying.

"You have to be brave," Hiccup said. "There's nothing else to be done."

"No, no it's not true!"

"We have to find Rapunzel," Rue said from where she sat on the bed with Anna. "Anna, where is she?"

"I don't know, she went to find dad," Anna said. Merida could clearly see something was wrong with Anna as well. She looked weak and pale.

"Something happened to her," said Olaf, hiding in the corner away from the heat. "Something that made Anna like this. She couldn't even make a fire when I found her."

"I think it's some sort of spell," Anna said quietly. "I don't know, I can't see Maggie anymore either."

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed from the doorway.

"When did you get here?" Mary Katherine asked.

"Just now," Astrid said, running to where Hiccup lay cold and dying. She cursed. "What happened to you, Feather Brain?"

"Elsa," Hiccup managed to say. "Hit me. Help."

"Where's Rapunzel?" Astrid asked.

"No one knows," Rue said, "but we're going to find her, now! Astrid, stay with Hiccup and Anna, keep them safe, and, if possible for you to do so, alive."

Astrid nodded, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "I will. Now go, and hurry!"

"Come on Missie!" MK said, running out the door. "MISSIE! Aunt Rue, Missie's gone!"

"She's a bear, what do yew expect?" Merida yelled. "We'll just have ta go on foot. Now come on! And you!" she said, turning and glaring at Hiccup. "You had better be alive when I get back, or I'll kill you mahself!"

"You have to be brave," Hiccup muttered again as Merida, Rue, and Mary Katherine raced off. "She can't heal me."

"Don't say that," Astrid said. "Of course she can! She has to!"

Meanwhile, Merida charged through the dark woods, Mary Katherine and Rue hot on her heels. It was hard going; with no way to find a clear path they kept tripping or getting snagged by bushes.

"I wish I brought a horse," Rue said.

"How far away are we from DunBroch?" Merida asked.

"Your mum said it was about 5 miles," Mary Katherine said.

Merida whistled sharply. "Worth a shot," she said. "As long as Angus hears me he'll come."

"At least the snow stopped," Rue said, trying to be cheerful.

"Rapunzel!" Merida called. "Jack! Elsa! Anybody?"

No one answered. They struggled on. Finally, they emerged from the woods onto a snowy plain.

"RAPUNZEL!" all three yelled together. This time, there was an answer, but not one they expected. A high-pitched whinny drifted on the wind.

"Angus!" Merida cried. She whistled again. "Here Angus, here boy!"

Galloping heroically across the snow came the large black Clydesdale. Angus raced to his owner, and would barely stand still long enough for her to mount, as if he sensed the urgency.

"Can he hold three people?" Mary Katherine asked.

"For the moment, he has to," Merida said grimly. "Climb on."

Rue and MK squeezed onto Angus' bare back, and Merida pushed him into a gallop. Dimly, she wondered how he had managed to break free of his stall and the castle without being stopped, then find her five miles away, but she knew it wasn't important right now. There was certain to be a logical explanation that she would find out sooner or later. What mattered at this moment was finding…

"RAPUNZEL!" a voice screamed.

"That's Jack!" Merida said. "This way, Angus!"

"After we get home," Rue said, "I don't think I'll ever ride any animal ever again."

"Not even the unicorns?" Mary Katherine asked.

"Nope."

"Stop talking and help me call!" Merida said. "Jack! Jack, where are you!"

"Merida!" Jack yelled. "Merida over here!"

Merida pulled Angus to a standstill and dismounted, Rue quickly following. Kneeling on the ground, Merida picked up the shattered pieces of Jack's only weapon. "Jack! I only see your staff! It's broken! Where are you?"

"In the chasm!" Jack yelled. "Merida, you have to help me get out of here! I can't fly without my staff!"

Merida ran over to the chasm and peered down. Jack sat at the bottom, looking tired and frustrated. His shirt was almost ripped to pieces, his hands and feet were scratched and bloodied, evidence of a long day trying to climb.

"How are we supposed to get you out?" MK asked, joining Merida at the edge. "We don't have any rope.

"Oh why didn't I bring a dragon?" Merida lamented.

"Can't you whistle for him like you did with Torch?" MK asked.

"No, he's not that well trained! Stubborn dragon! Two training classes, top notch, and he refuses to come when called! Honestly!" She kicked the snow around her, sending a spray down on Jack.

"Hey!" Jack said. "Try not to dump snow on me, ok? I've had a very long and hard day!"

"We all have," Rue said. "Where's Rapunzel? She can bring you out with her hair."

Jack looked down. "Gothel…Gothel cut it."

"What?" Merida exclaimed.

"It's ok," Rue said. "It grows back very quickly."

"No!" Jack yelled. "It turned brown! It lost it's healing powers and won't grow again!"

"No! Hiccup needs her! He's dying!" Merida yelled.

"Here!" Mary Katherine said, throwing down Jack's staff to him. "Fix it!"

"I don't have any powers since it's broken…" Jack started to explain.

"Fix it now!" MK yelled. "We're running out of time! And if it helps, ANNA'S DYING TOO!"

"WHAT?" Jack yelled. "Alright, that's it!" He jammed the pieces of his staff together, putting all his concentration into it. "Come on come on come on," he muttered.

For a moment nothing happened. Then, suddenly, a bright blue glow exploded from the staff, and it mended. Jack let out a whoop and flew up to them. Merida hugged him excitedly.

"You did it!" she cried.

"Yeah," he said, still a little stunned. "Is it a Guardian power or something?"

"I don't care what it is," Rue said. "We have to go find Rapunzel. Any idea where she went?"

"No," Jack said. "Gothel made sure I could see while she cut Rapunzel hair, then she dropped me into the canyon. Nearly broke my leg," he said, rubbing it painfully.

"We can't just give up," Mary Katherine said. "Everyone's counting on us."

"Who said anything about giving up?" Jack asked with a grin. "We can't all ride on that horse, though."

"Ah know," Merida said. "But you're in no shape to carry anyone right now."

"Look," MK said. "I'll go on foot. It's no big deal, really."

"That's fine," Jack said. "See if you can find Elsa, she disappeared this morning really upset. Tell her it's fine now."

"Ok, I will," MK said, running off.

"Jack, can you do something about the snow?" Merida asked. "Angus can run faster without it."

"Sure thing," Jack said, pounding his staff on the ground. Instantly the snow was gone, sucked up into the staff. "What a blizzard this will make," he said, chuckling quietly. "Now, off we go."

* * *

Shuffling wearily through the palace, Rapunzel hugged herself tighter in Elsa's tattered blanket. She was close to freezing, and had walked through the rooms so many times she had a mental map in her head. She had the whole place memorized. Now, the sun shone through the walls with a muted brilliance. Quickly, Rapunzel moved towards the balcony, the only place she could get some good sun. Outside, the snow was gone, even the abominable snowmen had disappeared, and the air was warmer. Rapunzel hoped the castle would melt, but she knew that even it did it would be too late for her.

Collapsing on the ice, Rapunzel couldn't help but feel proud of Elsa. Searching through the palace had given her more information about Elsa's young life than she was probably willing to share, yet she had given Rapunzel her blind trust and love. No wonder she had been unable to control the storm; Rapunzel's rebuke had been the last straw.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Elsa," Rapunzel called. "I'm sorry I lost my temper."

No answer. Just silence. It reminded Rapunzel of the night she died, before the Moon had made her a Guardian. At least then, she had been surrounded by her friends and her parents. Now she was alone, and a whole lot of good her creativity was doing.

A chilly ice wind blew into the castle. Realizing it was warmer inside, Rapunzel crawled back into the room and down the stairs. She had to keep warm. She had to reach her family again. She had to apologize to Elsa, in person.

Back in Elsa's room, Rapunzel grabbed hold of the painting she had found in the closet and held it close. Elsa had inherited some of her artistic skills, and painted a small portrait on a piece of cloth. In each corner, the sun and moon were intertwined: the moon cradled the sun. In the center were Jack and Rapunzel. How Elsa had known was impossible to say, that part was not written down in her journal. But Rapunzel didn't care. She just held it close and hoped she would be able to see Jack again.

* * *

Jack spotted the ice palace from a long way off, and he flew to it as fast as he could, leaving Merida and Rue behind. Something told him that was where Rapunzel was, perhaps the same something that had told Merida Hiccup was in trouble. But after searching all night long, he was going to take any clue he could get. Jack flew straight in through the balcony, and not finding anyone there, went to the main room.

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel, are you here?"

Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of metal hitting ice reached him.

"I here you! Keep banging!" Jack called as he followed the sound.

Finally he reached Elsa's room, and stared around in amazement at the suspended snowflakes and delicately carved walls. Then he saw Rapunzel lying in the bed, wrapped in tattered blankets.

"Jack!" she breathed, obviously relieved. "Please, get me out of here!"

"It's ok, it's ok," Jack said, running to her. Gently, he picked her up and began walking back to the balcony. "I'm here now."

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," Jack said. "But I think you look better in blonde, don't you?"

Rapunzel giggled. "Yeah."

* * *

**AN: Finally a chapter without a cliffhanger! I actually combined two chapters, which is why this one is a little long. But otherwise I would have left off at "Hiccup and Anna are dying." Your welcome!  
**


	10. Chapter 10: Helpless

Chapter 10: Helpless

_Too slowly,_ Gothel thought as she stood in the woods outside the cottage. _You've evaded me for too long, Hiccup!_

Cautiously, she creeped up to the door and slipped in. Hiccup was asleep on the bed, and Anna lay by the fire. The dragon and snowman were nowhere to be seen; it was perfect. Gothel pulled out a sword and advanced on the blissfully unaware Hiccup. True, it would be more fun if he were awake, but he might have time to call the dragon before she finished him off. Smiling evilly, Gothel raised the sword above Hiccup's heart, and plunged.

"Aaarrggghhh!" Astrid yelled, running out of the pantry at the last second.

Her axe deflected Gothel's sword, but not enough. Hiccup woke up with a ear-shattering scream as the sword pierced his good leg.

"You!" Gothel screamed, enraged. "Where did you come from?!"

"From Berk you idiot! When my boyfriend's cousin goes missing and he travels through time against Santa's orders, you don't think I'm going to sit around and do nothing, do you?"

"You obviously don't know her," Hiccup gasped.

Gothel screamed and pulled her sword from Hiccup. Astrid swung her axe, but Gothel quickly countered.

"Toothless!" Astrid screamed. "Help me!"

Toothless and Olaf ran into the room, and Toothless promptly took up a defensive position over Hiccup, refusing to move. Olaf, on the other hand, ran to Gothel and began pulling on her cape.

"Stop it!" he said.

"Let go of me you annoying little pest!" Gothel said. She thrust her sword in Astrid's direction, and nearly speared Anna in the process.

"No!" Olaf yelled, wrapping himself around her legs. Gothel ignored him, and managed to fight Astrid just fine. "This is not making much of a difference, is it?"

"Nope," Astrid said, pushing Gothel back towards the door. "But thanks for trying. Now shut up and let me concentrate."

"Oh, so you don't like him either," Gothel said. "Then I may as well add him to my list of people to kill!"

She stabbed Olaf, but he didn't notice, he was hanging on to her feet so hard.

"What the-?"

Again and again she stabbed, but Olaf just looked up and grinned. Astrid tried to suppress a laugh as she stood to one side, catching her breath. Extremely aggravated now, Gothel shook him off, landing him in the fire.

"Olaf!" Anna screamed—or tried to, anyway.

"I'm ok!" Olaf said, rushing out of the fire. He looked down at his flaming arms. "Looks like I need an upgrade though."

Anna smiled weakly. Then Gothel thrust at Astrid again, but she was ready. For a good 10 minutes more they fought, while Hiccup feebly tried to convince Toothless to join in and Anna wished more than ever that her family was here. Desperate, she stood and made her way to the door, but just as she was about to open it, Olaf stopped her.

"Duck, Anna!" he screamed.

Anna turned, confused, as Astrid's axe flew across the room and imbedded itself deep into the wood where Anna had stood a millisecond before. Anna screamed and dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

Astrid now stood weaponless against Gothel, who had somehow managed to disarm her in one swift movement. She was so stunned that she didn't move. Deep inside she told herself that she HAD to move fast. Hiccup was freezing, Olaf was melting, and Anna was fainting. But she couldn't move a muscle. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She knew the sword was coming even before she saw it. Nearly 15 minutes of fighting on edge, and now Astrid stood motionless, letting Gothel's sword pierce her stomach.

"ASTRID!"

Hiccup let loose a guttural scream as she collapsed on the floor. It had not been in slow motion for him, in fact, it happened so fast he nearly missed it. Summoning the last of his energy, he mounted Toothless, and flew across the room at Gothel, who did not expect the aerial attack from a dying, half-frozen fishbone. She was knocked flat on the ground; the sword shot across the room harmlessly out of reach.

Gothel looked up into the face of a very angry Night Fury. It was the last thing she ever saw before he ripped her head off. Gasping part from shock and part from exhaustion, Hiccup dismounted his trusty dragon.

"Go outside and eat her, I don't care," he told Toothless. "Just make sure she can never come back again!"

Happily, Toothless took his meal outside. It was the last anyone saw of Mother Gothel. Hiccup dragged himself over to where Astrid lay on the floor, stunned and bleeding.

"Astrid, can you hear me? Please don't go into shock!"

Astrid gripped his hand. "I can hear you," she managed. "Is she…?"

"Dead," Hiccup confirmed. "And this time for good. Toothless is eating her."

Astrid groaned. "Usually that would make me happy. Now it makes me want to be sick. So that's that then. If we have to die, than at least we saved the world in doing so. Funny, I always wanted my life to end like this. I just never thought it would be so soon."

"You wanted to die bleeding on the floor of a cabin alone in the woods?" Hiccup asked, confused. He could almost feel tiny snowflakes and bits of frost freezing his brain.

"No Feather Brain," Astrid said gently, drawing him closer. "I wanted to die with you by my side."

Hiccup choked back tears. "Me too. I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you most."

"You would have made a great chief someday, you know that?"

"You would have made an even better chiefess. Chieftess, whatever."

Astrid laughed, but quickly regretted it as she doubled over in pain. "Is this a proposal?"

"I…I don't know," Hiccup said, feeling the ice begin to overtake him once again.

"Then if we ever get out of this alive, which I highly doubt, I accept."

Olaf sniffed. He tried hard not to burst out crying, he knew that'd ruin the moment, but he couldn't stop it all together. He looked over at Anna, who was gazing at the ceiling, doubtless wishing Kristoff were there for her. More than anything, Olaf wished he could help them, but how? He was nothing but a pile of melting snow with arms that were nothing but a pile of ash.

"Do you hear that?" he asked suddenly, standing up. Astrid shook her head, and Hiccup heard nothing; his ears had turned to solid ice. But Anna heard.

"Mom!" she whispered weakly. "It's mom. She can heal us."

"Help!" Olaf screamed at the top of his lungs, as if the others needed to be told.

Rapunzel threw open the door and stood in shock, gazing at the four dying people on the floor. Anna looked up at her mother and inhaled sharply.

"Mom…your hair!"

Sobbing, Rapunzel collapsed on the floor, covering her face in despair. Here she was, finally, with those who needed her help the most, and she was absolutely helpless to heal them.

"No!" Merida screamed, running to Hiccup and Astrid. "No! It can't end like this! It just can't! Please, Rapunzel, tell me there's something more you can do!"

Rapunzel began to sing violently, harder than she ever had before. She was literally screaming the lyrics to her song, but her hair did not glow. Jack held Anna close, but nothing happened. Rue knelt by her daughter and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Rapunzel, there's nothing you can do."

She shook her head and kept singing, refusing to believe it. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine! Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine!" she screamed.

"Don't feel guilty," Astrid managed to say. Her vision was blurry now, and her hearing was dim. The pain was so great now it was all she could do to keep from screaming. _I'm a viking. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show. Don't…feel…_

* * *

**AN: I'm sorry this was so short...and for such a bad cliffhanger. This will be the last cliffhanger for this book, I promise!_  
_**


	11. Chapter 11: The Spell

Chapter 11: The spell

Elsa slept peacefully through the night, so completely drained from her storm that she did not wake up until the sun had been up for several hours. But now that she was awake, she was eager to reunite with her family, especially Rapunzel.

It was a relatively cool misty morning, albeit warmer than last night, and it made for a pleasant walk. Elsa felt very calm and at peace with herself and the world. She no longer feared that her powers would escape her control. Honestly, she didn't know why she had feared that in the first place.

Smiling, Elsa began to sing. It was a silly little song Olaf had written, but she loved it anyway. As simple and ridiculous as it was, it really captured her mood.

"Bees will buzz, kids will blow dandelion fuzz and I'll be doing whatever snow does in summer! A drink in my hand, my snow up against the burning sand, probably getting gorgeously tanned in summer!"

Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. In front of her, nestled in a dip in the land, was Maggie's cottage. For a moment, she wanted to run, terrified, in the opposite direction as fast as her legs would carry her. But she knew it was foolish, and besides, her curiosity was growing by the minute.

Softly, she crept up to the cottage and peered in the little window. To her surprise, Mavis and Mary Katherine were there, looking at books. Confused, she walked in, but neither of them paid much attention.

"What on earth are you doing?" she asked as Mavis frantically turned pages.

"Trying to find the antidote for a spell Gothel gave your mother!" Mavis said.

"Gothel! But she's dead!"

"Wasn't," Mary Katherine corrected. "Now quick, you have to help us look! Anna and Hiccup are both dying!"

"Anna!"

"We'll explain while you read!" Mavis said, tossing her a book. "Try to find a spell or antidote for sapping the power of magic hair, turning it brown and making the subject go unconscious."

Elsa immediately got to work. At first she only registered the titles of the different spells, not thinking about what they meant at all. She listened as MK and Mavis told her how Gothel's plot had slowly torn them apart and was now killing them off one by one.

"If we don't find the antidote for that spell," Mavis said. "Rapunzel won't be able to heal anybody."

"I'm looking as fast as I can," Elsa said.

Flipping through, she saw potions of all kinds. One turned you into frogs, classic; others poisoned foods, been there done that, and one concoction put the victim in endless sleep, very cliche and overdone. Others were more interesting looking, though, like the one that turned plain wooden objects into magical portals to other lands. One variation of that worked well on puddles. Elsa could almost imagine a whole forest full of puddles; one wrong step and you'd be gone from this world!

"Elsa, focus," Mary Katherine said, glancing up. "Everyone is counting on us."

"I know, I know! Sorry, some of these are pretty weird."

"Yep, like 'make the unseen visible.' Like you're ever going to have to use that!" Mavis said. Suddenly she ripped out a page and stuffed it in her pocket.

"Did you find it?" MK asked excitedly.

"No," Mavis said. "Keep looking. Just something I might need for later."

Elsa shrugged the matter off, there were more important things right now. "Let me know if you locate a spell for finding a hidden spell," she said sarcastically.

"I wish," Mary Katherine said, skimming the pages quickly. Abruptly she stopped and flipped backwards several pages. "I found it!" she cried.

"You did?" Mavis and Elsa asked at once.

"Yes! Listen: Spell 19. This spell takes away magical powers that were inherited at birth. Works best on magical objects with healing properties. Side affects can include fainting, nausea, uncontrollable crying, hallucinations, memory loss, an unquenchable desire to wreck someone's life, wandering aimlessly, depression, fierce despair, and thoughts of giving up or suicide. If none of these side affects occur see a witch or sorcerer immediately and bring your subject with you. Sheesh, they're not good at grammar."

"Poor mom!" Elsa cried. "What about the antidote?"

MK glanced at the list of ingredients and shuddered. "This is going to smell disgusting. Mavis, do you know where Gothel keeps the cauldrons? We're going to need a fairly big one, and a good sized fire, too."

"I'm on it!" Mavis said, walking through a secret passage."

"Ok, now for the ingredients. This is pretty weird, but it's an anagram, easy remembering I guess. EXTRACTION. Eggs, turtle, 6. Xanther, 2 tablespoons. Hey Mavis, got any xanther? Or do you even know what that is?"

Mavis came back in, hauling a large cauldron. "Xanther? It's a rare substance, but Gothel loved it. I'll go get some."

"Ok, next is half a pint of toe jam, ew. One ram horn, 12 squares of ambrosia. Chicken feathers, about 25. Twig, perfectly black and from a cedar, 16 one inch cubes of ice, Elsa you can do that, and...oil from a pig? Um, gross!"

"Pig skin oil? Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Elsa said, reading the list over Mary's shoulder as she prepared the ice cubes. "That stuff stinks like anything when burned!"

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that," MK said, trying not to gag. "The last thing is nectar, two cups."

"Got it!" Mavis said, dumping the last of it on the table. "Phew! Why are antidotes so gross! Luckily, I think between the nectar, ambrosia, xanther and turtle eggs Rapunzel should be able to drink this thing without tasting...you know, the oil and toe jam. And feathers."

"I vote we don't tell her what's in it," Elsa said, stacking wood beneath the cauldron. "At least until after the crisis is over. Oh, uh anything in the side affects if the antidote?"

"Hmmm. It says 'this antidote also works on spell twenty six.' Twenty-six?" she flipped through the book until she found it. "Spell for poisoning relatives. This must be what she used on Anna. It says it can be combined with 19." She flipped back to 19. "It also says 'The speed at which magical properties return may vary.' Well that's just loads of help! It could take days!"

"It doesn't matter," Mavis said, lighting the fire. "We have to try. Let me see that book. Boil ingredients in water for five minutes, then add ice cubes. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Allow time to cool before intake."

"Simple enough," Elsa said, filling the pot with loosely formed snow. "Once this melts and begins to boil, we throw in the other ingredients."

The snow melted quickly, and they began to throw in the ingredients in the listed order, saving the ice cubes for last. Mary Katherine and Elsa abandoned the cottage when the oil was tossed in, the smell so revolting and repelling that MK threw up right in the front yard.

"Sorry," she moaned.

"You should be!" Mavis yelled from inside. "Leaving me here to tend the fire and uh..." She stopped shouting and doubled over, trying to not to vomit herself.

"Let's take a walk," Elsa said feebly, helping her cousin to her feet. "I need some air."

MK did not object. The surrounding forest was pleasantly warm and sweet, reminding Elsa of her earlier joyful walk. Soon the deep pine scent had covered the sickening odor of the antidote. The girls reached a mossy rock near a stream, and decided to sit down and enjoy the morning.

"So, tell me about your adventures, MK," Elsa said curiously.

"Well shortly after you left, I decided that everyone else was breaking North's rules, so why couldn't I? You needed help and I needed something to do. The Duke of Wessleton was plaguing me every step I took, demanding to know where everyone had gone. So I, um, did a little snooping around...I didn't mess with anything private though! I promise!"

"It's ok, I believe you," Elsa said with a gentle smile. But MK still looked guilty.

"I did see your old room but I not on purpose. I left as soon as I realized where I was but I did see some things. Sorry."

Elsa was quiet for a moment. The west wing was being cleaned up now, for real this time, but the family still hadn't moved in yet. She and her father had spent many days and nights in her room though, talking and crying together. That room was still very icy, as both of them had been unable to control their "violent emotional feelings" as Anna called them. Elsa had made absent drawings during their last meeting, drawings of her young life. It was pretty bad stuff, and most likely what MK felt guilty about seeing.

"It's ok," she said at last. "I know you didn't mean to." She hugged her reassuringly.

MK smiled, glad Elsa was not upset. "So anyway I finally found a portal and tried to find you. Unfortunately I wasn't sure where-when you had gone. I didn't know how to control the portals so...it's actually been about a month since I last saw mom. I eventually ended up in the future in the middle of the woods. It was after this bad encounter with Greek soldiers, so I really wanted to rest. Luckily I met this really nice guy named Professor Bomba. He took me back to his house and gave me some new clothes since mine were basically ruined. Stupid Greeks. It was my favorite dress too! Anyway I was about to try another time jump when I got shrunk down by this tiny queen named Tara. She...well...there were these Boggans, see, and..." MK paused, uncertain how to go on. "It a long story. Basically I lived with a advanced society of tiny people in the woods, saved their world and met a really nice guy."

"Oh?" Elsa said, trying to sound nonchalant. But she noticed the dreamy, far away look in MK's eyes. "What was he like?"

"He was a jokester," MK said with a laugh. "But inside he really did care, and he was super sweet. His father died too, when he was young. I think that's part of why he was so happy and carefree, too happy and carefree according to Ronin. It got him into trouble a lot, but he was just trying to get the most of life, you know? He didn't know when his would end."

"You love him, don't you?" Elsa asked, though it was more of a statement. She knew it was true.

"Yes." The anguish on her face was clear. "What have I done, Elsa?"

"Hey, we'll figure something out, don't worry."

MK tried to smile hopefully, but she didn't pull it off. "I hope you're right."

At that moment the sound of galloping hooves was heard, pounding on the soft turf and coming their way. Elsa leapt up and held her arms up, a blue glow emanating from her hands indicated her readiness to fight. It was not what they expected. Angus rode up to them, fully saddled and looking ready to take them wherever they needed.

"Angus!" Elsa exclaimed. "You've shown up just in time!"

She and MK quickly mounted and rode back to the cottage. A sickly looking Mavis was waiting for them, holding a few vials in one hand and a goblet in the other.

"Thanks a lot," she wheezed, packing the vials carefully into Angus' saddle bag.

"You're the oldest and have the most experience," Elsa said apologetically. "But I guess we could have taken turns."

"Probably," Mavis said sarcastically. "Can you seal this shut?" she asked, holding up the goblet.

Elsa quickly coated the entire glass in a thick sheet of magical ice, then handed it to Mary Katherine. Mavis turned herself into a bat and began flying off towards DunBroch.

"Come on!" she called. "What are you waiting for?"

Elsa spurred Angus into a gallop. She could only hope they were not too late.

* * *

Elsa knew at once that something had gone horribly, terribly wrong, even though they were still far off from the cottage. The screams of pain and misery from the hut were worse than she could have imagined human sounds could be. Angus galloped faster, even though she had not thought it was possible.

Mary Katherine leapt off Angus before he had stopped moving and burst into the house. The sight that greeted her broke her heart into a million pieces.

Hiccup was frozen solid, and Merida was unable to control her grief, sobbing so hard she did not notice Jack's comforting hands on her shoulders. Astrid lay beside his frozen body, screaming in pain as Rapunzel tried desperately to stop her bleeding and crying as she grasped Hiccup's hand. Rapunzel sang fiercely, tears streaming down her face too, but nothing was happening. Anna was cradled in her grandmother's arms, too weak to move or do anything, but both she and Rue were silently crying.

All of this MK took in in a millisecond. She didn't even pause at the door. She just lunged to Rapunzel, barely noticing the melting ice.

"DRINK IT!" she screamed.

Rapunzel downed the contents of the drink without hesitation. Immediately, she gagged and coughed at the vile substance.

"Rapunzel!" Jack cried. "What on earth did you give to her?"

"What we had to," Mavis explained out of breath. "Mother Gothel poisoned her, and that's the antidote."

Rapunzel paled. "I hate antidotes. Don't tell me what's in it."

"Me too," Mavis said. "Elsa and MK left me to watch it as it was boiling."

"Can you feel anything different?" Elsa asked anxiously. "The book said the recovery time varies…"

Just then Rapunzel's hair flashed brilliant gold. All poisonous effects were simultaneously nullified. Anna gasped and sat up straight, eyes wide.

"It worked," she said. "I can see magic again!"

"Wonderful!" Rue exclaimed, hugging her close.

**AN: another chapter without a cliffhanger! This one is a lot slower and happier. it's a welcome break before the climax. :) Speaking of...there are only two more chapters! I had probably start working on book four now...so far I only have one chapter. **


	12. Chapter 12: Flood

**An: it has been brought to my attention that Anna's sickness and recovery was not very clear (Thank you Roseline James!) Sorry about that. When I'm writing my mind races so fast I sometimes skip information accidentally. usually its just a word here or there, or sometimes an extra word where I've rewritten a sentence and forgot to delete all of the old one. I have since edited chapters 7-9 and chapter 11. So if you would like to re-read those chapters, especially the parts where Anna and Gothel are featured in 7 and 8, feel free to do so. **

* * *

Chapter 12: Flood

"Now heal Hiccup!" Merida screamed. Astrid coughed up blood. "Oh, and Astrid!"

Rapunzel felt her hair. "I can't! It's too short!"

"What!?"

"Don't worry," Jack said, trying to hold her back. "It's growing fast."

"Not soon enough," Astrid wheezed. Rapunzel started to sing again, willing her hair to grow as fast as it could. Even though it would not heal her wounds, Astrid grabbed a handful, grateful for whatever strength she could get.

"What happened to you?" Elsa cried.

"Gothel," Anna said simply. "Astrid nearly won, but Gothel stabbed her."

Mavis looked around angrily. "Toothless killed her, Mavis," Merida said. "And ate her, according to Hiccup. He's outside now."

"I didn't see him," MK said.

"Um, guys?" Jack said. "If we're high on a hill, and the snow is gone so there's nothing to melt…why is there a growing puddle of water on the floor?"

"Not me!" Olaf said cheerfully.

Rue ran over to the door and tried to open it. "It's locked from the outside!" she exclaimed. She noticed a tiny hole in the wood and peered out. "Oh."

"What is it?" Anna asked, joining her. Rue stepped aside and let her granddaughter look. "Oh. The army. I knew we were forgetting something."

"The army?" Mavis cried, alarmed. "How did you forget about Gothel's army!"

"Hey!" Merida snapped. "People are dying over here, you know!"

"M-Merida?" MK stuttered. "What do you know about huge, green, water spraying dragons?"

Paling, Merida leapt up and ran to the tiny peek hole, now surrounded by people. "Scauldrons!" she cried. "They're spraying the house! But how? Those only live on Berk!"

"Sea dragons, idiot!" Astrid managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Where's Toothless?" Jack asked.

"There are too many even for Toothless, where ever he is," Merida said. She cursed. "Six! How on earth did they tame them?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Anna said, beginning to panic.

"We've got to find another way out!" Rue said. "Everyone, start looking around. Try the roof, the cellar, chimney, everything!"

Jack froze the fire and flew up the chimney, only to find a Scauldron at the top, about to spray more water. He flew back down, barely staying ahead of the gushing water, and began pressing against the stone walls. Meanwhile, Anna, MK, and Rue hurried into the pantry, and Merida charged down into the cellar. Mavis, now a bat, flew along the roof, searching for any kind of gap. In the kitchen corner, Elsa and Olaf rooted around in the pots and pans, but it was no use. There was no way out.

"Jack, Olaf," Rapunzel said quietly, breaking her song. "Go into the cellar and help Merida. Try to dig an escape tunnel or something. Elsa, help me get Hiccup and Astrid onto the bed. The water is rising fast."

Elsa lifted Hiccup onto the bed while Rapunzel dealt with Astrid. Her hair, now reaching down her back, was still growing, but was not long enough.

"Has dad tried to take the ice away?" Elsa asked softly.

"Too many times to count." Rapunzel walked over to her. "Elsa, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it."

"I know," Elsa whispered, hugging her. "It's ok. Can…can I try to take the ice away?"

"Do you know how?" Rapunzel asked, surprised.

"No, Mavis never figured it out. Or at least she didn't teach me."

"Sorry," Mavis said from the rafters where was hanging.

"But I was able to stop my storm earlier."

"As long as you can give me a small break in the ice, any tiny bit of skin, that would help a lot."

Elsa nodded, positioned her hands over Hiccup and concentrated hard. She remembered how calm she felt when she stopped her storm, how she just _knew_ that she fit in here, despite what the voices told her. Slowly, she closed her hands into fists, and pulled.

"Way to go Elsa!" Jack cheered.

Elsa's eyes snapped open, startled out of her concentration. Looking down, she saw that Hiccup's hands and arms were free from the ice. Merida and Rapunzel quickly began wrapping him in her hair.

"Hurry!" Anna cried, holding Olaf and standing on the bed.

"How long did that take?" Elsa asked, noticing she was now standing in 3 feet of water.

"About five minutes," Mavis said somewhat proudly. She and Jack were flying above everyone else. "You did good, Elsa!"

"That won't change anything unless we can get out of here! What about the escape tunnel?"

"Didn't work," Rue said, perching precariously on the little kitchen table. "The soldiers somehow knew what we were doing."

"Magic," MK said breathlessly. She had joined Anna on the bed. "They sent a Scauldron to spray into the ground where we were. We barely got out alive."

"Jack!" Rapunzel said. "I need more time!"

"Gotcha covered," Jack said, freezing the chimney shut.

Elsa smiled and began doing the same to the rest of house, trying to encase the room in a sheet of ice. Suddenly there was an earth-shattering roar from outside, which broke the fragile ice wall.

"That's Toothless!" Merida exclaimed. "We're saved!"

Mavis flew over to another small hole in the roof. "Actually we're not. Toothless is trapped in a net, although I'm not sure how they got one that big."

"Not good, not good, not good!" Anna cried.

"Hey!" Olaf yelped, leaping out of her arms. "You're melting me again!"

"Sorry," Anna said, trying to get it under control.

The water had now filled the room up half way, and the bed was covered. Merida and MK struggled to pick up Hiccup. Try as they might, the water was rushing in too fast for Elsa and Jack to freeze it. Anna wasn't helping matters at all.

"Anna," Jack said urgently. "You have to stop melting our ice."

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Anna said.

She stuffed her hands into the gloves, but it was no use. The panic was growing faster than the water, and the damage was done. No amount of ice could stop the flood now.

"You can't control your powers if you fear them," Elsa said. "Trust me, I learned the hard way."

"I don't fear _them_," Anna said, although it wasn't quite true. "I fear the fact that we're about to drown!"

"No!" Merida yelled. "We are not going to drown! We WILL find a way out of this! Rapunzel, will you sing the song now? Hiccup is a lot heavier when he's made of ice."

Rapunzel threw a lock of hair over Astrid and sang. Slowly her hair began to glow, and the ice around Hiccup's face began to fade. After what seemed like forever, he breathed again, and looked up at Merida.

"Hiccup!" Merida cried, hugging him as she set him down. "You're alright!"

"For the moment at least," Hiccup said, taking in the situation at a glance. "Astrid?"

"I'm fine," Astrid said weakly. "Just tired. Don't stop singing," she told Rapunzel.

The six of them, Hiccup, Merida, Rapunzel, Anna, MK, and Astrid, stood on the bed as the water reached their necks. Jack swooped down and picked up Elsa, flying her to the roof. Hiccup sighed.

"This is my fault. I'm sorry I got you all into this."

"It is NOT your fault," Merida said firmly. "What are yew going on about?"

"North told us not to time travel anymore, but I went back anyway. If I had only listened…"

"Nonsense," Rue said. "Merida was abducted, wrongfully imprisoned. You wouldn't have been able to get her out on your own. You did what you had to."

"But we had dragon riders at Berk, we could have brought them along and searched."

"The Moon, Hiccup," Jack said. "The Moon told you where to find us. I'm still around in this time period, He could have brought me to you here and now, but He didn't. It isn't time for that yet."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's Gothel's," Mavis said. "She captured Merida in the first place."

"Alright, we're stopping right there before we go back any further to _why_ she did it," Rapunzel said. "This situation is out of our control. What's done is done, so we shouldn't feel guilty about it."

"I guess you're right," Hiccup said glumly. "We're about to die anyway, so why feel guilty about it?" Astrid hugged him sympathetically.

"I don't want to die!" Mary Katherine cried as she floated upwards with the water. "I haven't seen my mom in a month! I didn't even say goodbye."

"No!" Jack said suddenly. "No, we do make it out! I've met you before, in this time! Both you and Merida! You were 17 and Merida was 18. Something will happen, and soon! We will be rescued!"

"You mean, you met us before we traveled forward in time in the first place?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes!" Jack said.

"No," Rapunzel said. "I didn't."

"That was before you were born," Jack explained.

"I'm confused," Rue said.

"Whatever is going to happen, it needs to happen fast," Merida said, struggling to stay afloat.

The water was only inches away from the ceiling now, and only tiny Mavis was able to stay dry. Everyone else swam or floated, but finally there was nowhere left to go.

"Just don't panic," Jack said calmly. "See you all in a few minutes."

"I can't hold my breath for that long," Mavis said, changing back to human form so she could hold more air.

"Seconds," Jack corrected. Everyone held their breath as the water covered them all.

Despite the reassurance that they would live, Hiccup held Astrid close, wanting the last thing he saw to be her face. Merida grabbed his other arm, and he could see she was crying. Nearby, Jack held both of his daughters comfortingly, knowing full well that the only known survivors of this were Hiccup and Merida. And even then...didn't North always say that time could be changed? It's why they were forbidden to ttea travel in the first place.

It was deadly calm and quiet; the water blocked all sound.

Then, just as everyone's lungs were about to explode, the door was thrown open. In a sudden rush of water, they were all thrown outside, landing on the warm dry grass. Jack laughed happily.

"Told you," he said, kissing Rapunzel.

"Mary!" someone cried. MK looked back and saw her mother, one hand still on the door.

"Mom! You came!"

Mary Katherine and Rue got up and ran to her on shaky legs. Primrose hugged them both tightly. No one had ever been so relieved.

"You're welcome," a voice said sarcastically. Hiccup looked up and to his surprise saw Snotlout and the other dragon riders flying above them.

"When did you guys get here?"

"Uh, just now," Tuffnut said. "Astrid got here before us, so we got kind of lost."

"But thanks to us," Snotlout said, "You're alive. We just drove away ten Scauldrons and a massive army on our dragons."

"Snotlout, you're exaggerating again," Fishlegs said. "There were six Scauldrons, and two hundred soldiers. I counted."

"We didn't have time to count the army!" Ruffnut protested.

"I have never been so glad to see you all in my entire life," Astrid breathed. "Thank you. I mean it."


	13. Chapter 13: Guardians

**AN: I know I have at least one Whovian reader here, so see if you can catch my reference! This is a real, intentional reference; the Master was purely accidental, I assure you. I had this planned long before I saw him on Doctor Who. **

* * *

Chapter 14: Guardians

When Stoick, Fergus, and Elinor arrived at the cottage on dragons, they found a large group of wet, tired, and arguing teenagers, plus a snowman and two queens. Elinor quickly dismounted Thornado and ran to Merida, who stopped arguing with the twins about the best way to get to DunBroch.

"Mum!" she cried, hugging her. "I knew I would see you again!"

"Aye, you were right, lass. I'm so glad yew're alright!"

"Can everyone please stop quarreling?" Stoick thundered. Immediately they fell silent. "Thank you. Now is everyone here and accounted for?"

Jack flew up high so he could see them all at the same time. "Let's see, there are the four Companions, the two honorary Companions, Elsa and Anna, Mavis, Queen Rue, Queen Primrose, Mary Katherine, Olaf, Astrid and a bunch of other dragon riders. Sorry, but I don't know your names, or who all is supposed to be here. Am I forgetting anybody?"

Toothless roared from nearby. He was still caught in the dragon net. Hiccup laughed and ran over to him, cutting the ropes with his dagger.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried. "Your leg!"

"What?" Hiccup was confused, then remembered that Gothel had sliced his leg to the bone hours earlier. "Oh it's fine, I guess Rapunzel healed it when she did the ice."

"Hiccup," Stoick said. "She means your other leg. The one the Red Death destroyed."

Gasping, Hiccup looked down and noticed for the first time that he had two perfectly good legs.

He fell back and Toothless caught him.

"I didn't know I could do that!" Rapunzel squealed happily, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Any other surprises?" Fergus asked jovially.

"Don't ask!" Anna said. "That never works out good when you say stuff like…that…" Her voice trailed off as the moon suddenly shone down on Merida.

"Merida DunBroch." Manny's voice filled the clearing.

"Here I am," Merida said, stepping forward.

"I appoint you to be the Guardian of Courage. You will help children all over the world whenever they are discouraged, afraid, or alone. Your very presence invokes courage and bravery."

"On my honor, I will do my best," Merida promised. "Do I get any special powers, like Jack did?"

"No, powers are not necessary in becoming a Guardian. But because you did not need to die to prove your courage, I will give you something different." Merida looked down at her bow, which she had used to threaten the Snotlout earlier. Slowly, a silver glow covered all of it, not to mention the arrow. "Your bow is now special. It will never miss it's target, no matter who wields it. Guard it carefully, for the time will come when you must use it to save your friend's lives."

They thought He was done, but to their surprise the moonlight moved to Elsa.

"Me? I'm a Guardian, too, now? But why?"

"Elsa Frost, I appoint you to be the Guardian of Love.***** From a young age, you loved the beauty in all things, despite the encouraging you had to make everything dangerous and dark. Even during your hypnosis you cared for the common people, and you hold a blind, loving trust in your new parents."

The light flickered, then the Moon disappeared. There was a few moments of silence from everyone on the field. Even Snotlout was shocked speechless.

"Well," Rapunzel said at last. "Congratulations you two. I don't think the Moon has ever spoken for that long when appointing a new Guardian."

"Love," Elsa said quietly. "Of course! That was how I stopped the storm, I just didn't know it! That's the secret to controlling my powers!"

"It was all along," Mavis said. "Which is why Maggie was so frustrated."

"What does this mean, exactly?" Elinor asked.

"It means I'm now…immortal," Merida said. "Oh no. Please don't make me be queen forever!"

Fergus laughed. "No, dearie, we won't make you dew sech a thing. That honor will go to Hamish, since he is the oldest of the triplets."

"But, you will still live with us, won't you?" Elinor questioned.

"Of course, mum!" Merida said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Finally!" Jack exclaimed, interrupting. "Finally I can talk about this!"

"Whoa!" Hiccup said. "Calm down. What are you talking about?"

"I've known Merida is a Guardian for _forever_. Almost literally! But Manny told me I couldn't tell you or else it could wreck time and space!"

"I'm still confused," Rue said.

"Ok, here's how it happened," Jack said. "At some point after this, right here right now, I meet Hiccup and Merida in the woods for the first time. You all know me, of course, but I don't. We become good friends. Skip forward a couple hundred years, and…"

"Jack," Rapunzel said warningly. "Be very careful what you say. Spoilers."

"I am, I am! When Manny showed us who the Companions were, I thought it meant…"

"Jack! Let me tell the rest," Rapunzel said. "Whenever Manny needed us together, he told us the exact time and place to get you. All of our adventures before this had to take place before you could become the Guardian of Courage, understand?"

"I think so," Merida said slowly. "Does this mean that, eventually, we'll never have to say goodbye again?"

"Yes," Rapunzel said. "Eventually."

"Unfortunately, you never were allowed to tell us where Elsa was being kept," Jack grumbled.

"I knew?"

"Of course you did," Rapunzel said. "You were there the night of the kidnapping, and the older you were the first to come and comfort us. But you weren't allowed to tell us _where_ she was hidden, even though it was killing you…and Jack."

"Well," Elinor said. "I have absolutely no clue about what's going on."

"I'm sure all will be cleared up over dinner!" Fergus said. "Why don't you all come back to DunBroch to dry up and eat? Is anyone hungry?"

"Starving!" Anna and MK exclaimed.

"Then let's have a party to celebrate!" Stoick said.

* * *

Dinner at DunBroch was a grand affair. There were roast turkeys, freshly baked bread loaves, cakes and treats galore. The triplets had a wonderful time racing between chairs and under the table and stealing food from whoever they could. Eventually, Jack noticed the boys and joined them, even flying them across the table and ultimately annoying Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel. Anna, however, thought they were very sweet and freely gave them anything they asked for.

Conversation was also lively. Stoick and Fergus had not heard anything, and everyone else only knew bits and pieces, so the whole adventure was told start to finish. Elinor was especially interested in Rapunzel's hair.

"But why was Anna effected when it was cut?" she wondered.

"I think I have that one worked out, actually," Anna said. "Have you ever heard of a twin link?"

Merida snorted. "We have a triplet link. It's like they can read each other's minds! They can tell when one of them is hurt."

"Well mom and I have something similar, a mother-daughter link. I think it's partly because our magic is so similar, almost identical. Because of this, Gothel was able to mix a potion strong enough to effect me indirectly when she poisoned mom directly. Make sense?"

"Yes," Elinor said.

"No," Fergus and Stoick said.

"With this group," Astrid put in, "I've learned to just accept obscure facts and move on."

After awhile, however, Rapunzel noticed Mavis was missing. She wandered through the drafty halls of the castle and eventually found her sister in an empty hallway, far away from the festivities, sitting on the cold stone floor and clutching something in her hands.

"Mavis? Is something wrong? Why aren't you at the party?"

Mavis looked up. "I found the antidote for the vampire spell."

"Wait, really?" Rapunzel asked, sitting down next to her. Mavis nodded. "But how?"

"It was in one of the spell book's at Gothel's cottage. I ripped out the page and studied it while waiting for your antidote to boil, and decided to take the ingredients with me. Luckily they all survived the flood. The paper was a little damp, but it was still readable."

There was a moment of silence as Rapunzel took in the information. "Will you take it?" she asked finally.

"I don't know," Mavis said. "I hated it when I was younger. I never wanted to take it in the first place, and now it's become a symbol of my darker past. But…it's also become a part of me."

"You won't be able to fly anymore, or walk on walls. It'll take time to get used to that. Are you sure you can give all that up?"

Mavis was silent for a long time, thinking. "It's witchcraft. Pure evil. Can I still be good if I have that in me?"

"You've made it this far," Rapunzel said. "And you're not alone. We will help you, no matter what you decide."

Sighing, Mavis tucked the bottle back into her dress pocket. "I need to think it through some more."

"That's fine," Rapunzel said with a smile. "For now, come back and celebrate with us. I think Jack is about to start a good natured food fight."

Mavis laughed. "Then we'd better stop him before he gets in trouble with Elinor!"

* * *

Mavis stood in front of a tall, slender mirror, taking a last look at her vampire self. Trembling, her hands took out the small vial with the deep purple liquid. Suddenly, without thinking, she gulped it down.

There was no effect.

_Maybe it didn't work,_ Mavis thought, half relieved and half disappointed.

Then she heard a terrified scream. Running to the window, she saw Hiccup being pursued by a giant black mass of dragon. Fiery lava dripped from his gargantuan mouth, and it reared it's head back, ready to fire more.

"Hiccup, run!" Mavis yelled, leaning out of the castle.

But she knew he would never make it from the ground, and Toothless was no where to be seen. Jack was too far away to reach him in time, and although he tried to shoot a protective ice wall, the lava only melted it. She was the only one near enough to help.

With a heroic leap she jumped from the window, only to remember too late that she had drank the potion. Mavis could not fly.

As she fell in slow motion, she watched the stream of magma fly from the giant dragon's mouth and envelop Hiccup. It was too late. Mavis screamed in agony.

"Why did I ever drink that potion?!" she cried.

"Mavis! Mavis wake up!"

Mavis jerked awake and saw Jack standing over her, concerned. It was very dark in the castle, only a torch in the hallway shone a sliver of light into the guest bedroom the Mavis and the girls were staying in.

"What—Hiccup! Dragon! Lava!" She sat up, breathing heavily.

"Whoa, whoa!" Jack said. "Calm down, it was just a dream."

Mavis stood up, slowly. "No, it was a Nightmare. They still haunt me for turning good. But at least now, I know what to do."

Determined, Mavis walked to the dresser where she had stored the antidote and retrieved it, careful not to wake the light-sleeping Elsa. Then she flew through the castle, Jack following, to the roof of one of the towers.

"Mavis?" Jack asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. But I'm not going to take this."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Definitely, positively, absolutely."

She drew back her arm and threw the bottle as far as she could. A few seconds later they heard a tiny shattering crash over by the creek. Eventually, it would either be washed away by the flood waters, or seep deep enough into the ground where the waters still flowed.

"There," Mavis said with finality. "Now it won't harm anyone."

"I'm glad," Jack said honestly. "It wouldn't be any fun if I were the only one who could fly in this crazy family."

Mavis laughed. "Thanks Jack."

* * *

Although it had been a long last few days and it was the middle of the night, Hiccup wasn't very tired. He'd been lying in bed in his personal guest room at DunBroch for hours now, and wasn't even close to falling asleep.

Sighing, he moved to the desk and began to doodle absently. Toothless came in soon after and lay down on the floor, moaning sleepily. Hiccup stopped drawing and looked down at his legs, still somewhat in shock about the whole thing.

"I know they say it's not my fault," he said out loud. "But I still feel guilty about the whole mess. And a lot of good I did to help straighten it out, too! I spent the whole time frozen! I know, I know. That really wasn't my fault, and it wasn't Elsa's either. But it still doesn't make me feel any better."

Toothless looked at him as if to say 'that's not why you're upset.' Sighing, Hiccup took off his boots and sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Why am I the _only_ Companion that's not also a Guardian?" he finally asked. "Well, besides Anna. I know it sounds mean, but she's only honorary."

There was no answer from the dragon. The castle was perfectly silent. Slightly depressed, Hiccup sighed again and lay down, hoping to get some sleep.

Suddenly, the room shook as a deep voice filled it. Manny was back.

"Do not worry, Hiccup, your time will come."

* * *

*******some readers may remember Cupid/Jill. She is not a Guardian of Love, just a fun lovin spirit like Jack was before he became Guardian. **

**Author's Note: ...wow. I can't believe it's finished. there isn't an epilogue or anything, it just ends with the Moon's prophecy-well, sorta prophecy-for the fourth and final book, which will debut on...I don't know. To quote Bilbo Baggins: "It's not ready yet." I hope to have it ready by September 16th, but I just can't be sure. If you follow me, though, will send you an email whenever I do end up posting it. **

**So anyway, follow and review! I'd LOVE to know what you thought of the book in general and this chapter. Did I make the right decision for Mavis? I struggled for a long time with that. Was my explanation for Anna's power failure clear and/or understandable? Is it a valid explanation? Did you catch my reference? **

**Thank you loyal, faithful readers who have stuck with me to the very end! I hope you enjoyed the story. **


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